Searching for Lost Souls
by Lillie Cullen
Summary: AKA Ansel Adams and the Search for the Yeti.  Bella's looking for Bigfoot.  Jasper just wants some peace and quiet.  Think either of them will have any luck?  Not crack-fic, just some lighthearted fun and eventual smut.  New Moon AU, J/B.
1. Chapter 1

**_Disclaimer: _**Not mine, never will be. (Repeat for future chapters).

_**A/N:**_ Battling a little writer's block on my original WIP, in need of some stress relief, and this idea just wouldn't get out of my head. This story is going to be very different than anything else I've written. It's gonna be lighthearted and (hopefully) increasingly funny. I am not anticipating any more angst than your average rom-com. It's not beta'ed. New Moon AU. J/B eventually - no love triangle. Bella's cool. Rated M because you know me, I can't resist the temptation to write smut. Oh, and those stories where the updates are 10k+ words and the author apologizes for it being short? Yeah, this isn't one of those. I'm writing this as a series of vignettes, short glimpses of their lives, alternating between Jasper and Bella. I'll leave it up to you - more frequent, shorter updates (say, 400-1500 words) looking at either Jasper or Bella, or less frequent, longer updates that catches up on both. Either way, short enough to be able to read on your lunch break. Lemme know which you prefer when you review!

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><p>Jasper stepped out of the humble log cabin onto the wooden porch, took a deep, cleansing breath and surveyed the landscape. A crystal clear lake shimmered in the early morning light down the hill from him, a lone black swan swimming along its edge near the small dock. Behind it, snowcapped mountains glistened white before giving way to the deep green of the mature pines below. Birds chirped in the distance, signaling the arrival of spring. He could almost picture Ansel Adams standing in this very spot, his camera quietly capturing the serenity on film. It was then that he realized what he was feeling.<p>

Peace.

It was something that he'd not felt before in his long, long life. Not once. He'd sworn for decades that Alice had brought him peace, but it was hard to lie to yourself when you could feel the emotions of those around you and know what you felt paled in comparison. Carlisle and Esme felt true peace whenever they were in the same room as one another. Emmett and Rose felt it in the quiet moments after their sexcapades. Jasper had cherished those times, when he could wrap himself up in the emotions of his companions and pretend they were his own. What he felt now was not exactly what they had felt, but it was close enough, and it was real, and it was his.

He sat down on a creaky rocker with peeling red paint and stretched his legs out, crossing them at the ankle, a book of poetry in his lap. All he needed was a mint julep, he thought with a wry smile as he sat in quiet contemplation. Not that he could drink it. Well, that wasn't all he needed. For a brief moment, his smile faded and he wished he had someone to share it with. But, no. He had finally created a life of his own, a life not dependent on anyone else but him. He was just not used to being alone, without a woman to hold and emotions from others to distract him from his own. Solitude was what he needed, what he craved, and now that he had it, he was going to enjoy it.

He opened his book, but he wasn't really reading it. And it wasn't really his book. He looked at the inside cover, where a large sticker with a picture of a swan was affixed, the words 'Property of Bella Swan' printed across its pearl wings. She had been reading it the day of her ill-fated birthday party, and had begrudgingly put it down when Edward and Alice forced her downstairs. Jasper found it lying where she'd left it, open and face down on Edward's leather couch, when he'd briefly returned to Forks on his way to the cabin to pick up his faded blue jeans, denim shirts, hiking boots – basically all the clothes Alice would whine about for days if he tried to wear – and a few sentimental items before heading back out. He had gone to check on Bella before he left and was going to discretely return it to her, if for no other reason than to thank her. Carlisle had told him that she'd immediately forgiven him, understood the situation better than even the other vampires in the room had. It had gone a long way towards him forgiving himself, and he thought returning her book would be a nice way to express his gratitude. She was long gone, however, and so he'd taken the book with him.

Ah well, he thought with a shrug, opening it back up to where he'd left off and not feeling the least bit guilty about inhaling deeply, savoring the faint remnants of her scent. He'd tried. It _was_ a really good book. Smelled good, too, he thought with a chuckle as his smile returned.

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><p>Bella was considered a bit of a quack in the scientific world. After all, who actually attempts to write their master's thesis on the genetics of supernatural beings? Of course, the critics didn't know that she'd used blood samples of shapeshifters – they were <em>sooo<em> disappointed when she informed them that they weren't really werewolves in the technical sense of the term – to back up some of her theories. At least she was a well-liked quack.

After she'd realized that vampires weren't the only supernatural creatures out there, she'd become fascinated with the idea that such beings weren't supernatural at all. They actually existed, which meant there must be a scientific basis for their presence. She became fixated on DNA, evolution, genetic engineering, anything that could get her closer to the truth. Of all the myths out there, which ones had the greatest possibility of actually having basis in fact? Vampires – definitely. Fairies – probably not. Unicorns – likely. The Lock Ness Monster – possibly. Most everyone dismissed her work as fancy; amusing to ponder on a theoretical level but not actually plausible. More than one professor over the years had tactfully suggested she transfer to Creative Writing.

She had done enough quote-unquote legitimate work to not be considered a total loon. After all, she'd discovered a species of winter wolf in the Appalachian Mountains previously considered extinct. People tended to gloss over the fact that she'd been looking for evidence of Bigfoot at the time. She still hadn't given up on that one – as soon as she was finished with the semester, she was heading back out. Winter was better, easier to track, but a spring trip fit into her schedule, not to mention her hatred of the cold. If she was a vampire, that'd be one thing, but as it was, no can do.

Bella sighed. Maybe one day she'd unlock the secret to vampire physiology. The fact that most myths about vampires were just that, myths, didn't help. It's not as though she could go around saying, "no – they _don't_ burn in the sunlight, they sparkle like freaking prisms." So instead she wrote a paper comparing rare skin diseases with vampire mythology, creating a bogus link between the two, sprinkled in a little bullshit about vampire bats and mosquitoes and called it a day. But alone in her apartment, she read stories about golems and immortals, analyzed studies about people with heightened senses or weird, uncontrollable cravings, and tried to record everything she could remember about _them_. She'd figure it out eventually. She just hoped she wasn't old and grey before she did.

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><p><strong><em>So, whaddya think? <em>**


	2. Chapter 2

Jasper didn't have a lot of money, and that was fine by him. After all, the three basic ingredients for human survival – food, water, and shelter – really had very little meaning to a vampire. Well, except maybe shelter. He had no desire to live a nomadic life. When he'd left the Cullens, they'd tried insisting that he continue to have access to the family accounts, but he'd politely declined. Somehow, walking away from all those millions helped lessen his burden, brought him a step closer to the simplicity he desired. He did have some of his own money, and he'd purchased the cabin outright many years ago. It didn't have electricity or running water, but it had a wood burning stove for heat and the freshwater lake was clean enough to bathe in. As far as he was concerned, it was heaven.

He did, however, find himself wanting some paints and canvases, so after hunting one day, he headed down the mountainside to the nearest village to order some. He exchanged pleasantries with the hardware store owner as he purchased a stone and oil to sharpen his wood ax with, but hurried out as quickly as he politely could. It had not taken long for him to grow accustomed to the peace of not being bombarded with errant emotions, no matter how benign, and he didn't like how jarred it left him. It reminded him of all those torturous days following Alice around high school after high school. He'd hated every moment of it. Not only did it frazzle his nerves, swimming in a sea of out of control teenage hormones day in and day out, but he found the whole idea ridiculous and demeaning. He was a grown man, why did he have to constantly pretend to be a boy?

Jasper was walking up a dirt path on the way back out of town, looking for a good location to head back into the woods and start running, when he came across an older man walking a large, black horse by a short lead. He wasn't sure what breed it was, but it reminded him of a warhorse, the type he would ride in his human days. The horse turned to make eye contact, and Jasper realized with a start that this horse was not afraid of him, not in the least. He had to have it.

"Sir, might I inquire as to where you are taking this horse?"

"I'm takin' it into town. Ted says some college girl is planning a trip up the mountain in a couple of months and was looking for a horse to help her carry her gear. I thought this horse might be just what she needed, especially since I can't take care of him anymore. Ted's gonna take his picture and email it to her or some such nonsense, see if she wants it."

Jasper's face scrunched in indignation. "Sir, this is a beautiful horse in peak condition, not some lowly pack mule. How much was this girl offering?"

"Well, I don't right know yet. Ted wasn't sure if she was looking to buy or rent, you see."

Jasper smiled. "Well, I'm looking to buy, and I'll pay you a fair price for him." The old man raised a wiry eyebrow at him. An hour later, Jasper was leaving the old man's farm with a horse, saddle and tack and several days' supply of grain. Even better, he got a job with the man, whose name was Samuel, doing odd jobs around his farm. The horse whinnied in approval as he slowly guided it up the mountain. It wasn't until he got there that he realized he had no place for the horse to rest. Tying the reins around the porch railing, he set about drawing out designs for a small stable. It looked like he was going to have to make another trip into town sooner than he'd expected.

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><p>Bella hung up the phone in frustration. She thought she had a horse lined up for her trip, but apparently the deal had fallen through and she was back to Square One. The idea of trekking all that gear on her own was just was not appealing at all, and she didn't want a donkey. The last one she'd used bit her but good (on purpose too!) when she tried to give it an apple. Broke the skin around her knuckle. Pissed her off. She was tired of scars from getting bitten. Not only that, but donkeys smelled horrendous. Nope, she wanted a good, old-fashioned horse, one with enough sense to know when danger was coming and could speed up beyond a trot if necessary. It was harder to track that way, horses weren't always the quietest creatures, and no matter how hard she tried, they didn't seem to understand "Shhhh!"<p>

But they were still vastly superior to an ass.

_Bang – Bang – Bang – Bang_

"Jesus," Bella muttered under her breath. She slammed her fist on her bedroom wall three times in frustration. "Damnit guys! Cut it out!"

"Sorry, Bella!" Mike and Jessica shouted at the same time. Bella was still a little unsure as to how she had ended up roommates with those two horndogs. She supposed it was because Mike, being the true and loyal friend that he was, was the only one who stood by her when everyone else thought she had gone off the deep end. And that was before she even started talking about researching minotaurs and leprechauns. She had always considered herself mature for her age, but in that particular instance, she acted like an immature, melodramatic teenager. Looking back on it now, she was absolutely mortified by her behavior. But she'd eventually got her head out of her ass and quit acting like a whiny bitch, and when she did, Mike was there, making sure her pathway back from social leperhood was clear. When she'd talked about wanting to escape from small-town living and head to the east coast for college, Mike thought it was a great idea. So… Mike followed Bella, Jessica followed Mike, Bella rejected Mike (because as much as she loved him as a friend – she didn't want to fuck him), and Mike finally realized Jessica existed. The rest, as they say, is history. Luckily all their friendships survived no worse for the wear.

Unless you count Bella's frequent lack of sleep from all the noise.

The next morning, all three converged on the kitchen – Jessica sated and walking funny, Bella sleep deprived and grumpy, and Mike as mirthful as ever as he kissed Bella's cheek before pouring her a cup of coffee. She begrudgingly smiled. Bastard was the only one who could make coffee the way she liked it, and he used it to his advantage. In this case, that meant getting Bella to smile and forget he'd kept her up all night while working Jessica over nine ways from Sunday.

"So what's on the agenda for today, Bella?" Mike asked jovially as he made himself some cereal.

"We have to see a man about a horse."

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><p><strong><em>AN: _**You still love me! *Yay*


	3. Chapter 3

Jasper named his horse Traveller. It was a fitting name for such an intelligent beast. So intelligent, in fact, that Jasper could sense emotions coming from him, especially when they made eye contact. Truth be told, he found it a little disconcerting. He'd cleared out and fenced a large pasture for him. Traveller was happy with it, which made Jasper happy. He'd also built the horse a lean-to, which would be fine through fall, but he would need a true stable come winter.

During his time with the Cullens and their unlimited funding, this would have been a mundane task. Acquire a chopper to fly the pallet of materials to the remote cabin and drop them, add in a half hour's labor for the family, maybe a little longer with electrical and plumbing, and voila – state of the art stable. Now, it was a little bit trickier. He decided against electrical – he had no idea where the nearest tie-in point would be since the cabin was not equipped with it, and chose to dig a well so the horse was assured fresh drinking water. He'd drawn up a small, simple design that would house three horses max and their gear, but it would still require a significant amount of materials. With the money Samuel was paying him, he would be able to afford it, he thought, but he had no idea how he was going to transport the materials, or explain how he was building the whole thing on his own. It was something he would work out once he bought the supplies, he figured.

"I wonder who I rescued you from," he conversed with Traveller while brushing down his mane. "I can't believe they were going to use you to lug gear. You're much too pretty for that, aren't you, Traveller?" he cooed. He would have felt a little foolish for sounding so girly if anyone else was around, but he'd never felt so lighthearted before. It was another new feeling to him, and he liked it.

The horse responded by pissing on Jasper's shoe.

Apparently, vampires weren't the only males that didn't like being called pretty.

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><p>"Okay, so let me get this straight," Professor Snape asked pointedly. His real name wasn't Snape, of course, it was Gates, but since he looked like Snape, acted like Snape, and smelled the way Bella expected Snape would smell – she'd dubbed him Snape. Mike was surprised she hadn't slipped up and called him that in person yet. "You are going – by yourself, mind you – up into the Appalachian Mountains over Spring Break, not to gain more knowledge on your winter wolf, which might actually earn you a spot in the doctorate program, but to look for a <em>yeti<em>?"

Bella rolled her eyes at him. "No, not a yeti. Yetis are in the Himalayas. I'm going to Pennsylvania looking for a Bigfoot, you know, Sasquatch."

"I was being sarcastic. Yetis do not exist. Neither does Bigfoot."

"Yeah, well, even Jane Goodall concedes the fact that they may exist, and there is photographic evidence from 2007 that has yet to be disproven."

Snape sighed. "Bella, I think this university has been quite indulgent over your interest in cryptozoology. Unlike others with similar interests, you actually follow the scientific method and don't make claims you can't back up. I enjoy reading your work, fantastical as your theories are, because you almost make me believe in the possibilities, but enough is enough. You have a brilliant future ahead of you. You could be the next Jane Goodall or Dian Fossey."

"Dian Fossey died," Bella interjected.

"Yes, I know that," Snape sighed, "but you're missing the point. It's time for you to grow up and leave behind the world of Bigfoot and Count Dracula."

Bella stood up. "No, _you're_ missing the point. This is not an official expedition. I am not using grant money or university funding for this trip. As far as you are concerned, I'm just going hiking over Spring Break as opposed to going to Cancun and getting trashed and laid like the rest of my colleagues. I promise, I will bring some radio collars with me and see if I can't tag a few wolves while I'm there."

"Alright, Bella," he sighed, standing up and hesitating before giving her an awkward hug. "Just promise me you'll be careful." Being hugged by Snape was a little strange, especially when he suddenly had more affection in his voice than her father ever had, but she accepted it without complaint. Maybe it was one of those love/hate things. Maybe he was in love with Renee as a kid but Charlie stole her away. Sorry to tell ya, Snape, it didn't work out so good for Charlie either. She's already been married and divorced twice since then. "I mean it, Bella. Be safe."

She did a damn good job of suppressing the flinch at his choice of words, if she did say so herself. "Always am, Professor S – Gates."

On the walk home, Bella thought about what Snape had said about leaving vampires behind. He had no idea the profound impact his statement would have. She couldn't do it. She _wouldn't_ do it. This was all she had left of them, and she was holding onto it for dear life. And one day, if she ever figured out how, she would make herself one of them. Not for You-Know-Who, not for the Cullens, but for herself.

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><p>AN: Thanks to Cullen Cousin for the title suggestion! I loved all the talk about the horse! A bit of trivia - Traveller was the name of General Lee's horse. This Traveller is kind of a cross between Maximus from Tangled and Tug from The Ranger's Apprentice books. He's been compared to the horse from In Your World - very cool story, very cool horse - go read and fall in love with Amishward if you haven't checked that one out yet. Know of any other cool horses in FF?


	4. Chapter 4

"First, you need to clear a path that we can get the trucks up. Then, Ted and I'll see who we can round up to help. We'll get that stable built in no time." Samuel nodded his head, emphatically agreeing with himself, and his eyes showed more life in them than Jasper had seen in the past week. Turns out Samuel's wife had died the previous winter. Neither of his two sons lived nearby – couldn't even be bothered to make it back for their mother's funeral – and between Samuel's age and depression, his farm was falling apart around him. Jasper found purpose in the honest labor and instant gratification of restoring the place to his former glory. Samuel tired quickly, and Jasper used the time alone to accomplish things more efficiently. The place looked better already.

"Well, as far as the path goes, I've been working on that since I got here. The previous owners had done quite a bit already," Jasper lied smoothly. He would get right on that. His paints hadn't arrived yet anyway, and he needed something to do at night besides read poetry and listen to the crickets, enjoyable as both those hobbies were. "But you want to help me build it? Really?" He didn't want to say anything, but Sam couldn't even manage to maintain his own farm, how was he going to help build a stable? Samuel turned his back to pour them both some iced tea, and Jasper took the opportunity to spray himself with the spritzer of saltwater hidden in his pocket. He'd been working outside all day – he needed to look like he'd been sweating.

"A bunch of us got together a few years back and built a Habitat for Humanity house. We ate, drank, and worked our butts off for a couple of weeks, but it was worth it. Compared to that, a stable ought to be simple. In fact, it's just what you and I need; a reason to get socialize; get some people together, drink some beer, work up a sweat!" Sam smiled triumphantly, but Jasper felt it coming a moment before the smile fell. "My Jane loved parties, no matter what the reason. She'd always volunteer to make dessert. She made the best mincemeat pies," he whispered.

"I'm sure they were delicious, Sam." Jasper sighed. He really didn't want anyone invading his sanctuary, least of all a bunch of sweaty farmers drinking beer and eating pie and mucking up his fresh air, but if it made Samuel smile and helped Jasper blend into the community, he would do it.

He would have to ask Ted if his wife knew how to make mincemeat pie.

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><p>"Hey Ang," Bella smiled and waved to her computer screen at her best friendbiggest supporter. Angela smiled and waved from her side of the Skype window.

"Hey Bella, what's up?"

"Not much. Having some trouble putting together my Spring Break trip. Mike's dad is looking into finding me a horse, since mine apparently ran away or some shit."

"Well, Bella, considering that you have a hard enough time staying on a calm horse, I don't think you want one feisty enough to run away, do you?"

Bella rolled her eyes playfully. "It wasn't for me, it was for my supplies."

"Even worse! If your horse took off and you ran into Bigfoot and had no beef jerky to share, he would think you're rude. Haven't you seen the commercials?" The girls shared a laugh over the absurdity of those stupid commercials. They were even worse than those cavemen selling insurance.

"Seriously, though, you sure you don't want me to go with you? I mean, I know that I'm not the best hiker or anything, but…"

"No. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Well, what about Mike? Or Jake?"

"Mike would be good, but Jessica won't go anywhere she can't plug in her blow dryer and order room service, and Mike won't go without Jessica. Jake and Leah are busy, I'm sure." They would make great trackers, Bella thought to herself, what with the big wolfie noses and all, but it always seemed to be mating season for those particular werewolves, sorry, shapeshifters.

"How about someone from school then? Surely there's someone you work with who is qualified to help?"

"They all think I'm crazy, Ang. I'm not going to bring them along and give them any more ammunition to use against me. Besides, I like doing these trips alone. There's something almost mystical about climbing the mountain, surrounded by forests and meadows, just me and my handheld GPS looking for a giant bipedal beast who eats beef jerky."

"With Wilbur the runaway horse!"

"Exactly!" Bella pointed at the computer screen. "You've got it!"

"Hey, maybe Wilbur really was a talking horse. An ancestor to Shrek's talking donkey! You should add that to your theories, Bell!" Bella knew if she let Angela get started, the ribbing could go on for hours. She could just feel her winding up.

"I'm hanging up now!"

"Alright, alright. You're still coming home this summer, right?"

"Yeah, although I'll probably be working from home while I'm there."

"That's alright – I love watching you work! MUCH more interesting than anything I learn in seminary. Oooh… what about angels? You know…"

"Bye Ang, love you! Tell Ben we all said Hi!"

"Will do! Tell Sasquatch we said Hi! Love you too!"

Bella clicked the little red phone button and huffed out a breath as Angela disappeared. As much as she wanted to spend more time preparing for her trip, she had a paper due on myostatin protein and its link to double-muscle mutations known to cause superhuman strength. She may not be able to prove the existence of yetis or vampires yet, but the scientific possibility of The Incredible Hulk? Walk in the park.

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><p><strong><em>AN: _**For those of you who don't know what mincemeat pie, it's a heavily spiced fruit pie with diced apples and raisins. My understanding is historically, it used to actually have ground beef in it as well, thus the name, but I've never had it that way. My grandfather used to love it, and since Samuel is loosely based on him, I had to put that in there. :) If you've never had it, you should try it! Kind of like shoo-fly pie - gross sounding name, really good pie, and me-oh-my I like pie!


	5. Chapter 5

Jasper's paints had finally arrived, and he set up the easel in the yard near Traveller's lean-to, facing the lake. He wasn't painting the landscape, though, not yet. There was no way he could do it justice. No, for this first painting, he was just going on instinct, colors and brushstrokes completely arbitrary. He became so absorbed in this transference of emotions onto the canvas that he blocked out everything else, as if his mind shut down almost completely. It was spiritual and meditative.

When he was done, he stepped back and studied his work. It surprised him, actually, when he realized what a calm color palette he'd chosen, all browns and blues and greys, soft swirls and gentle waves. There was a time, most of his life probably, when this style of painting would sure have rendered nothing but sharp angles, slashes of red and black, rage in two dimensions. He thought back to a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson he'd read in Bella's book - In art the hand can never execute anything higher than the heart can inspire. Maybe this was a good sign.

Traveller made a little noise that sounded a lot more like 'huh?' then a neigh, and tilted his head to the side as he considered Jasper's creation. 'Eh,' he seemed to say as he went back to grazing.

"What do you know?" Jasper asked him. Traveller lifted his head and raised one eyebrow at him. Jasper could feel the humor rolling off the horse in waves. "Alright, maybe it's not Picasso, but it's a start. And I like doing it, it makes me feel good." Traveller nodded in approval and trotted off.

Over the next several weeks, Jasper read everything he could get his hands on about painting, and did it whenever he wasn't working at Samuel's. It brought him a type of peace he'd never known existed. He painted landscapes, portraits, anything. He'd even done one of Samuel's wife based on their wedding portrait that made Samuel cry silent, happy tears as he stared at it for nearly an hour before insisting that Jasper hang it above the mantel for him. After seeing the portrait, Ted and his wife Sarah even offered to start selling his landscapes at their store, so he invested in watercolors and started doing various landscape portraits of the area on paper, matting them and mounting them on cardboard so that people could easily flip through them. He was shocked at how popular they were, but was pleased at the extra income it brought him.

He'd finished digging the well, ordered all the materials for the stable, and planted a small garden next to the cabin, since that had been his excuse for not buying food. He'd also cleared a dirt road down to town big enough to allow the delivery truck through. After the stable was built, he would strategically plant some fast growing trees and plants to allow Mother Nature to reclaim the road and restore his privacy.

Jasper sat down on the rocker and watched the fog roll in as twilight set and reflected on his current state of mind, calm as the lake before him. He had peace, purpose. He had found companionship in Samuel and Traveller. Even Ted and Sarah had quickly grown on him. He had made his own way, earned his own living, and gained control of his life in a way he'd never felt possible. He felt like he was finally, after more decades than he cared to count, his own man. His life was serene and tranquil and perfect. He hoped it never changed.

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><p>"THIS is my horse? She's practically a pony!" Bella didn't mean to sound so shrieky, but she really couldn't help herself at the moment. The horse Mike's dad had arranged for her was a dainty little thing. She needed a workhorse. This horse, while undeniably beautiful – white and slender and looking like she would just love someone to braid flowers in her mane – simply would not work.<p>

"I'm sorry, miss, really I am, but this is all I have available on short notice. All the workhorses in this area are, well, working. This horse isn't even mine, I borrowed her from the 4-H because Mr. Newton is a friend of a friend and called in a favor."

Bella huffed, her attempts at hiding her irritation failing miserably. It might have had something to do with her fists on her hips and the stopping of her foot. She decided to try a different tactic. "Look, um, what was your name again?"

"Samuel."

"Samuel. Okay. Look, Sam, I plan on exploring the mountainside for the next two weeks, preferably without coming back into town. I have a lot of scientific equipment I have to bring with me… dart guns, radio collars, GPS, satellite phone, time delay cameras and tripods, plaster for making molds of paw prints, not to mention that I would like to eat and have a drink of fresh water each day. I'm sure the horse wouldn't mind that either. I also have a tent and all your run-of-the-mill camping gear. Are you calculating the poundage of all these supplies in your head? I am, and they weigh more than me, which is why I need a good horse. And I had one, until someone sold it out from under me." The horse bristled and shook out her mane, as if offended by Bella's statement.

"Correction, a _strong_ horse. I'm sure this horse is good at many other things – guided trail rides, shows, that kind of thing." Bella paused for a minute when she realized that she was only saying this to keep the horse from feeling bad. She internally rolled her eyes at herself and got back on track. "Is there nothing else you can do?"

"Nope," he replied, and he looked like he felt genuinely bad about it, but that didn't help her with her current problem. "I would suggest you go to the hardware store and buy yourself a high quality hiking backpack, rather than that schoolbag lookin' thing you got there, go through and see what you can do without. Then between you and Belle here, you ought to be just fine. I'll even store the extras at my place for ya if ya want."

Bella sighed again, long and defeated. "Alright. Where's the hardware store?" She hoped it was within walking distance, since she'd taken a cab to Samuel's farm from the train station.

"I'll do ya one better. Lemme put Belle here in the pasture and I'll drive you myself. It's the least I can do since I sold your horse."

"YOU sold my horse?"

Samuel looked abashed and shrugged his shoulders apologetically.

"Whatever. Let's go. See you later, Belle." Bella and Belle – a hundred pound weakling human and her equestrian equivalent on their way up the mountain looking for Bigfoot. She found the concept oddly hysterical.

Bella was following Samuel into the hardware store when she saw a rack of paintings on the porch outside their door. Something made her stop and flip through them. They were stunning, magnificent really. She might have to stop back and buy one on her way home.

"Those are nothin'. You should see the one I've got at my house! I'll show ya when we get back."

"You know the artist?"

"Yeah. Jasper Whitlock. He's a friend of mine. About your age. Does some work at my place couple days a week."

Jasper Whitlock. Huh. Bella kind of always figured Jasper Hale was the only Jasper on the planet. Really, who names their kid Jasper? The thought was quickly abandoned as Samuel called her inside to introduce her to the hardware store owners.

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><p><strong><em>AN: _**A couple of people asked me how many chapters until Jasper and Bella meet. One, maybe two tops. And kudos to Princess Mishawaka for catching my 'mistake' on Wilbur. It'll come back up later. ;)


	6. Chapter 6

With only a week to go before Samuel and Ted and a few other locals headed up the mountain to help build Traveller's stable, Jasper ran into town to borrow Samuel's truck so the two of them could trek all the supplies up to the cabin. He was losing his mind, though. He was sure of it. Everywhere he went, he swore he smelled Bella. He smelled her in the woods. He smelled her when Samuel opened his front door and followed Jasper to the garage. He smelled her at the hardware store when he went in to pay Ted for the building materials. She seemed to be everywhere, which was just… impossible. Clearly, he needed to quit reading her book. Inhaling Bella's scent on a regular basis was obviously rotting his brain and causing dementia to set in.

"Sarah's making mincemeat pie – did she tell you?" Jasper did a half-assed job of playing dumb, but couldn't hide the smirk at Samuel's pure elation over that fact. "You did that, didn't you?" Jasper shrugged noncommittally. "Oh, that reminds me – do you remember that girl that wanted to buy Traveller? She's here for the next two weeks. Pretty girl, real sweet. Sassy, and perhaps a little cuckoo-for-cocoa puffs, but sweet. Anyway, I borrowed a mare for her, but she's gonna have to restock on supplies halfway through. She wasn't too happy about it, so I may have invited her to your house for the party next weekend. I figured I could bring her stuff to her there so she wouldn't have to come all the way back down the mountain to my place, save her a little bit of backtracking. Plus, she'd get a hot meal in her and I'd feel better knowing she made it to the halfway point in her trip without getting eaten by those wolves she's searching for. Is that alright?"

"Sure, Sam. It's fine." It really wasn't, but what else could he do? It's not like he even wanted Sam and his buddies there disturbing his peace, let alone some strange explorer chick who apparently smelled a lot like Bella. Jasper immediately began making plans to hunt, and nowhere near the vicinity of the wolf pack he'd seen a few nights back.

One more week, he chanted to himself in his head, then Traveller would have a proper home, and he would be one step closer to reclaiming his sanctuary. Damn, he really was turning into a hermit, wasn't he? It was just so tempting to become a recluse - just him, his horse, his paints, his books and his peace and quiet. No emotions bombarding him other than his own, except for Samuel's a couple of hours three times a week. Yup, Jasper was just fine with being a recluse, he decided.

One more week and life would return to what he now blissfully described as normal.

* * *

><p>Bella couldn't believe it. She just couldn't freaking believe it. She tugged at Belle's lead harder and growled when the horse whined and shook her head no. Somehow, she had managed to procure the only horse on the planet that didn't like mud. This prissy, pain-in-the-ass, My Little Pony was looking at the mud on her hooves with her nose scrunched up. If Jessica had ever stepped in dog poop in her Jimmy Choos, she would have had the same look on her face, Bella was sure of it. It was absolutely ridiculous.<p>

Bella tugged even harder on the lead – and fell flat on her ass in the big puddle of mud. The horse laughed hysterically until Bella gave her the evil eye, causing her to pause for a moment before laughing again.

Well, Bella thought, at least the mud might cover her scent a bit, keep Sasquatch and the wolves from knowing she was there a little bit longer. She stood up, slipping a couple of times as she did, much to Belle's amusement, before finally getting herself upright again. She grinned evilly before bending over at the waist and shaking her hair like a wet dog, effectively splattering Belle from head to hoof with mud. The horse shrieked and tried to back up out of the line of fire, but Bella wasn't having it. She grabbed the lead and started petting Belle's mane, cooing "it's alright" as though she were comforting her, but they both knew she was just taking perverse pleasure from wiping the mud off her hands and into Belle's fur. Belle, knowing Bella had the last laugh, settled down and started obediently following Bella up the mountain.

At one point, Bella thought she heard something and froze, whispering a "Shhhh" to the horse, knowing it was pointless. Except it wasn't. Belle didn't move a muscle, didn't even seem to breathe until Bella did, her eyes darting around trying to find the source of the sound. Huh. Maybe this horse wasn't so useless after all.

The next several days had passed with no sign of Bigfoot. No sightings, no footprints, nothing. Not that her trip had been any less magical because of it. She took joy in all the wonders of nature around her, let herself feel as though she were a part of it. It never failed to amaze her how calm she felt while doing field work. She hadn't realized how stressed out she had been about this trip. She owed Samuel an apology. Even after she'd taken her frustration out on him, he still went out of his way to be nice to her.

Belle seemed calmer, as well, and the two bonded as they slowly and methodically searched the forest for clues. She picked up on the trail of a small pack of wolves. She'd taken a mold of a few paw prints and gathered some fur samples from a nearby thorn bush which led her to believe these were, in fact, her winter wolves. With nothing else to go on, she decided to follow them for a while, hoping to at least get a sighting. It was spring, so maybe she'd get lucky enough to chance across a den. Snape would cream himself if she brought back video of freshly tagged winter wolf puppies. She'd seen some human prints in the same area, and hoped the hunters hadn't scared the wolves off.

But first, she needed to head to some cabin in the woods to get the other half of her supplies from Samuel. She pulled out her solar power charger and hooked her GPS up to it so she could plug in the coordinates and figure out how far off she was. Luckily, it was only about three miles away – nothing she and Belle couldn't handle. "What do you say, girl? Think maybe we'll be lucky enough to get a bath while we're there?" Bella handed her one of the last two apples in the bag, taking a bite of the other. The horse moaned, whether in appreciation of the apple or anticipation of the bath, Bella wasn't sure. Either way, they were in agreement. As much as Bella didn't want to lose the trail of the wolves, a short break, some real food and a hot bath might be just what the doctor ordered. She tagged her current location on the GPS so she could find her way back to it, and headed towards the cabin.

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: _** Next chapter, they meet!


	7. Chapter 7

So, there was good news and there was bad news. No, correct that, it was all bad. As it happened, the 'couple of locals' Sam and Ted had helped round up turned out to be not one or two people, but over a dozen local farmers, plus volunteers from the 4-H. Jasper spun around in his front yard, watching truck after truck of people show up, crushing his grass, throwing cigarette butts to the ground, and just generally being loud and excited. Traveller was stressed and looking for someplace to hide, but there was none. After all, that was the whole reason for them to be there in the first place. The only good news, if Jasper could convince himself to see it that way, was that this whole nonsense would be done and over with all the quicker. Even if it'd still take longer than if he'd just done it himself. Sam was happier than a pig in slop, though, which pacified Jasper just enough to keep him from growling and baring his teeth at the whole lot of them.

Jasper was pulled out of his panic attack by Sam, who came up from behind and slapped him on the shoulder. "Told ya I wouldn't let ya down. Whaddya think?"

Jasper had to give them credit - these folks were prepared – portable picnic tables and work benches were being assembled, gas generators were being fired up, toolboxes and coolers were appearing all over the place and Bruce Springsteen music was blaring out of a boombox sitting on someone's tailgate. "Wow," was all he could think to say.

"Well, come on, these folks want to know who they're working for today. You got the blueprints, right? Oh, and Sarah made two pies, one for everyone else and one for you and I to share!"

Just when he thought his day couldn't get any worse, he heard rustling from the edge of the forest. Knowing it must be the Bella smell-a-like that had been haunting him all week, he turned in the direction of the noise. Only it wasn't some random girl who smelled like Bella. It _was_ Bella, just more grown up. He wasn't sure who was more dirty – her or her horse, but it was definitely Bella. And suddenly, just like Traveller, he was looking around in vain for somewhere to hide.

* * *

><p>Bella walked past the pasture and petted the large black horse, who'd trotted over to meet her and Belle. This was exactly the type of horse Bella had hoped for when she started this expedition. Not that she hadn't fallen in love with Belle, who was by far the smartest little horse she'd ever met, but still. Bella unhooked all her gear off her mare, dropping it on the ground before letting her loose in the pasture. Bella laughed as the two horses ran off together like they were old friends. She walked over to the well, filled her hands with water and splashed her face, only managing to get the caked on dirt muddy again, but she was able to to smear the majority of it off her face and with a second splash of water, she could feel skin again. Until she could beg someone for a shower, or in the very least a hose and scrub brush, it would have to do.<p>

"Bella! Over here!" Bella scanned the crowd looking for where Sam's voice was coming from. When she found him, she couldn't believe her eyes. Jasper Hale. Looking at anyone but her. Well, she wasn't going to intrude where she wasn't wanted. She would just go apologize to Samuel the way she wanted, get her supplies, and get the hell out of Dodge. With any luck, she'd get in and out before the rest of the Cullens even knew she was there.

On her way over to Samuel, though, some things started clicking into place. The landscape was identical to one of the paintings she had seen in town and loved. Jasper Hale was apparently going by Whitlock now. But that wasn't all. Samuel, who'd sold her warhorse out from under her, was standing right next to Jasper, who apparently owned a magnificent beast of a horse. Bella's eyes narrowed slightly as she walked with a little more purpose.

Jasper was still kicking the dirt with the tip of his worn out hiking boots, which were definitely NOT Alice-approved, when Bella reached them. She hugged Samuel warmly and whispered an apology, but all he did was chuckle, hug her harder, and call her a silly girl. When she pulled back, she looked at the horse then Jasper and back to Samuel with a questioning gaze, and was unsurprised when Samuel nodded. Bella smirked, crossed her arms across her chest and waited for the chicken-shit vampire to get up the nerve to look at her. After what seemed like forever, he finally did.

"Jasper Whitlock, you stole my horse."

Bella actually felt when his defenses went up. "Well, technically…"

"I want restitution."

"Restitution? For what?" _Better stop projecting that annoyance, Jasper. You're gonna make a fight break out_.

"For stealing my horse, of course."

Jasper huffed at her. "Fine. What do you want?"

"A hot bath will be a good start, and did I hear someone say something about pie?"

"Well, yeah, but that's our pie," Samuel piped up with a smirk. "We're not gonna share that fruity spicy goodness with just anyone. You gotta contribute first."

Bella looked around, assessing the situation. "What are you building?"

"A stable. For Traveller."

"You're building my horse a stable? How sweet! Thanks, Jasper. Of course I'll help!"

"That's the attitude!" Sam said, clearly missing her sarcasm. "I'll go fetch you a hammer and some nails." Unfortunately, Bella's bravado seemed to disappear the moment Sam left.

"Look, I didn't know you guys were here, I'll just…"

"You guys? I'm the only one here, Bella." Bella tilted her head at him, clearly confused. "Look, we can't talk about this right now. Let me just get through today, and then we'll talk, okay?" Bella nodded, thinking some explanations were clearly in order, and she was curious enough to waste a couple of hours to get them. "I don't have hot water, unless you heat it on the stove. Why don't you do what I do – wash off by the lake." There was no way Bella was admitting to the spike of arousal that visual created, whether Jasper could feel it or not. If he did, he hid it well.

Bella watched him from a distance as she helped build the stable. She was thankful he wasn't giving her a hard time about using the nail gun or climbing the scaffolding. She wasn't sure if it was because he didn't feel the need to squash her independence like some people in his family did, or because he was tweaking too bad to notice. The longer the day went on, and the more the workers had to drink, the more frazzled he became. Thank goodness they were almost done.

About an hour later, Bella decided she just couldn't take it anymore. He was going to end up eating someone. She wondered for a moment if Jasper would get drunk by snacking on someone with a through-the-roof blood alcohol level. She didn't think it would work, but she started forming plans for a double blind experiment to find out for sure. She just needed to find out how to get an alcoholic to donate his blood to science. Oh wait, Jasper still seems to be a vegetarian. Good luck finding an alcoholic deer to donate blood. _Hmmm… this experiment clearly needs more planning._

She walked over to where Jasper was loading up shingles on a pulley for the roof, and hesitantly put her hand on his forearm. Jasper froze, closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths before granting Bella a warm smile. Satisfied that he'd calmed down a little, she turned and started to go back to work when Jasper caught her by the elbow and stopped her. "Stay here with me, please. Keep me company. Your presence is soothing."

"Well, that's the first time I've heard anyone tell me that, I gotta be honest with you." Bella took a couple steps back and sat cross legged on the ground. She was tired anyway. Sleeping on the forest floor for a week doesn't exactly leave you in peak condition for construction.

"So… what's new with you?"

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: _**So what did ya think of their meeting? I'll admit that I had originally written it a little differently, but TheLadyKT put an idea in my head that just wouldn't go away, so I rewrote it. I kinda like how it turned out - hope you did too! Thank goodness the 4-H guys didn't recognize Belle, huh?


	8. Chapter 8

"So… what's new with you?"

Bella chuckled and shrugged her shoulders. "Oh, not much. Almost done with my master's degree in zoology with a specialization in cryptozoology that I'm certain is giving my advisor gray hair. Outside of that, not much. How 'bout you?"

"Cryptozoology?"

"Yeah, you know, the study of and search for supernatural creatures; unicorns, Bigfoot… vampires." Jasper's head shot up so fast, he had to look around and make sure no one else had noticed. Luckily, as they were almost done with the roof, the number of workers had dwindled down, and those left were focused on getting done so they could get back to their families. No one was paying attention to Jasper and Bella.

"Bella, there are no such things as vampires," Jasper replied carefully.

"Oh, I know," Bella replied haughtily. "So they keep telling me. Interestingly enough, though, this trip wasn't about searching for vampires. I'm searching for Bigfoot. Oh, and some rare winter wolves."

Well, that settled it. Somehow in the past six years, Bella had lost her mind.

"Bigfoot? Seriously? That was a guy in a gorilla suit, Bella. And a really bad one at that. There are some cool wolves around here, though. I've seen them."

"They're extremely endangered, you know." Was Bella actually scolding him? Yes, he decided. She was. He huffed at her. He hadn't eaten the damn wolves, but even if he had, it was a whole lot better than eating, say, Sarah. Although that would keep him from having to eat that pie later… "They're probably REALLY high in cholesterol, too. I'd avoid them if I were you."

"Have you always been like this?" Jasper really hadn't spent that much time around her, Alice and Edward would never allow it, but he didn't recall her being quite so, what was the word Sam used? Sassy. Still, there was something about her that was keeping him grounded at the moment, which was a very good thing.

"Ummm… no."

"I didn't hunt them, Bella. I just watched them for a while. They're cool. One of the females looked like she was going to have pups anytime now. The others seemed to be taking care of her, protecting her. It was fascinating to watch."

"Oooh!" She jumped up, her heart going aflutter. "Will you take me?"

"Sure, I'll take you. We'll have to leave your horse here though." Jasper looked over to see the two horses nuzzling their heads together in a far corner of the pasture. "Damn, that was fast."

Bella turned to see what he was looking at. "Well, Belle has good taste. He's gorgeous."

"Belle? Belle and Bella! That's funny. How'd you both get so filthy anyway?"

"Long story," Bella grumbled under her breath.

"Yeah, I'll bet." Just then, Sam called them over to the last remaining picnic table, all set up with three slices of pie on paper plates and red plastic cups of iced tea to toast the completion of the stable. Bella was Jasper's savior all through dessert, switching their plates every time Samuel looked away so it looked like he was eating too. A few times pretending to drink the tea and he was golden. No having to vomit up disgusting looking pie – that in and of itself was worth a trip up the mountain to show Bella the wolves.

* * *

><p>Bella was sitting on the railing of the railing, her legs stretched out along its length, leaning back on one of the support beams. She took a long drink of her beer, which Samuel had thoughtfully left her after he went home. Jasper was in the stable, cleaning down the horses and getting them set up for the night. It really was beautiful here, even more so than where she'd been exploring. The mountains, the lake, all of it. Add in some human necessities – a bathroom, a kitchen, and a bedroom, and this might very well be her dream home.<p>

It startled her when Jasper suddenly appeared in the rocker. "Deep thoughts?"

"No, just enjoying the scenery."

"I never want to leave here."

"I can see why." They sat quietly for a long time, just watching the sunset. Jasper ran in and brought out some candles. The candlelight flickered and bounced of Jasper's skin, making him look as though he were shimmering. It was mesmerizing.

"You had some questions for me, didn't you?" Jasper asked.

Bella figured she might as well get the tough ones out of the way first. "Where's Alice?"

"Boy, you cut straight to the chase, huh?" Bella just shrugged. "It wasn't working out. I could never relax there, and she didn't want to leave the Cullens. We got a divorce. Where she is now I couldn't say."

"What? But what about vampires mating for life and being changed forever and all that?"

"Who fed you that load of crap? Oh, let me guess. Edward. He's so full of shit. He probably just wanted to convince you that your relationship was destined so you wouldn't leave him. He was always so possessive and insecure. Our emotions aren't that different than a human's, Bella. We can fall in and out of love just like anyone else. Trust me. Mate is just a term we use for our partner because traditional marriages don't have the same meaning when you live forever."

"That little liar." This was going to cause significant edits in her research. She could just picture all the rewrites. "I assumed it was kind of like the way the Quileute shapeshifters imprint."

"How do you know about them?" Jasper sounded slightly alarmed.

"No way, buddy. We're talking about you now."

"Not much to tell on that front. Alice and I were good while we lasted, but it's been over for a while. No big deal. I'm over it. Believe me, I'm much happier now."

"I can see that."

"What else you wanna know?"

"Nobody else knows you're here, right? I don't have to worry about the rest of the clan showing up this week?" That was the last thing she needed.

"Nope. Before today, nobody's ever been to this cabin but me."

"Yeah, what's up with that? You obviously weren't enjoying the company. Why didn't you just do it yourself? Probably would'a been faster too."

Jasper lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. "Raised less suspicion, saved me some money, made Samuel happy."

"Why do you care about money?"

"My lawyer sucked. Didn't get a dime in palimony. Claimed it would infringe too much on Alice's shopping habits." Bella's jaw dropped open in shock. "Kidding! I'm kidding. I didn't want it. I didn't want to feel beholden to anyone but me. Besides, I don't need it."

"Yeah, I hear you're a famous painter now."

Jasper laughed. "I'm far from famous, but my paintings are popular enough that I can make a living. The tourists especially seem to like them."

"Well, why not. Way better than a postcard."

"If you want, I'll paint you one of your winter wolves when we find them."

"Awesome! What about Bigfoot? Will you paint him for me too?"

"Bella, I've been around a long time. I have never seen a yeti, or a unicorn."

"Yetis are in the Himalayas."

"Supposedly."

"Yes, _supposedly_." Bella rolled her eyes. This conversation was starting to feel oddly familiar. "Not going to stop me from looking. Wanna help?"

"Sure, why not? I've got time to spare. What brought on this obsession, anyway?"

"You guys did. Well, you and the shapeshifters I mentioned earlier. I figure if you guys can be real, why not all the others?"

"Well, I suppose nothing is impossible. We know there are vampires and shapeshifters. Oh, and real, true werewolves. I've seen them. You can add them to your list."

"Wicked!" Bella was so excited that Jasper was actually taking her seriously, and with very little persuasion. Plus, he was going to help! He would make a _way_ better tracker than Jake. And he could definitely carry more gear than Belle.

"Okay, your turn. How'd you find out about the pack, anyway? I thought they were rather tight lipped about it."

"Oh, um, Laurent tried to eat me. The wolves killed him. Then later, Victoria came hunting for me, something about a mate for a mate. They took care of her for me, but had to hide my dad and I on the rez for a while."

"Jesus, Bella!"

"No biggie. Not going to say it wasn't stressful at the time, but it's in the past. No use worrying about it now. Plus, it gave me a purpose, a passion."

"I know exactly what you mean. I've found that here."

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: _**I'm so glad everyone enjoyed their meeting. A few mentioned it was less dramatic than they expected. There's going to be next to no drama in this story, so you know. For one thing, I think it's more realistic. For another, I want this story to be light and refreshing. Think of it like a cup of tea with lemon cookies. Or a nice mint julep. A little sweet, a little tart, absolutely no bitter. ;)


	9. Chapter 9

"Bella, what the hell is all this crap?" Jasper looked around at all her gear. It practically filled the porch.

"Scientific equipment, food, camping essentials."

"Bella, I told you we couldn't take the horses where we're going."

"I know, I figured you could carry it." The unsaid 'Duh' in her tone did not go unnoticed.

"Me? If I didn't let you use Traveller as a pack mule, what makes you think I'll let you use me the same way?"

"For one thing, you owe me. I wouldn't have even had to make this pit stop if I had Traveller with me instead of my beloved equestrian prom queen. Secondly, it's not as though it's heavy for you. What's the big deal?"

"Okay, one – you wouldn't even know where the wolves were if not for me, so you should be thanking me for the pit stop, and two - how am I supposed to carry you if I have all this shit on my back?"

"Carry me? Oh no – I have no intention of taking a ride on the Vampire Express. Been there. Done that. You can hike at my pace, buddy. I'm walking."

Jasper was beginning to think he'd have been better off with the pie.

"Bella, please be reasonable. It's an hour's hike at my speed. A nice afternoon field trip – no food or camping equipment required. It'll take at least three days doing it your way."

"Uh uh, no way. I get carsick, or vampiresick, or whatever you want to call it."

"Okay, how about this, I carry you, but don't go full speed." Bella still looked doubtful. Jasper went in for the kill. "Just think about how much more time it'll give us to search for Bigfoot." Yup, that did the trick. He liked it when Bella got giddy, it was a much less nails-on-a-chalkboard kind of giddy than when Alice got excited.

"Oh fine. But if I throw up on you, it's your own damn fault."

Bella sorted out what gear she still needed, handed Jasper the bag, and climbed on his back. He could feel her reluctance, but then as she shifted and readjusted herself, wrapping her legs around him, he felt something else. Arousal. Not only could he feel the emotion, he could feel the damp heat against the small of his back, and he could smell it. Damn, she smelled good.

"Sunshine, you need to dial that back a notch if you ever wanna get any work done."

Bella snorted, all embarrassment and indignation. "You're not so special, you know. There's evidence of a type of blind sight where people who have lost their vision can see and sense emotions."

"And here I thought I was unique." Jasper took off at a light pace, only a quarter to half of what he was capable of, but Bella still buried her head between his shoulder blades and hugged him for dear life. He could feel her warmth permeating his skin like the sun, only more comforting. It was a good feeling.

* * *

><p>"Jasper, would you let me take a sample of your DNA?" He had stopped so she could take a mold of a couple of wolf paw prints, including one set that looked to be a puppy. She was also collecting scat in little plastic cups with little plastic spatulas, which was just gross.<p>

"Do vampires even have DNA?"

"You must. You can't be just rock. You have thoughts, emotions, instincts. Your body selectively produces venom. Those things all require brain function. Seriously, has no vampire ever looked into this? Not even Carlisle?"

"Not that I'm aware of. Carlisle is much more interested in human disease."

"So, what do you say? Just one hair?" Bella ran her hands through it. It felt like regular hair, moved like regular hair. It just doesn't shed or grow like regular hair. She only needed one hair follicle. Jasper made a little sound that sounded kind of like purring, then pulled his head away from her, freeing her hand from his hair.

"Yeah, alright. I guess I could lose one."

Bella figured he was in an agreeable mood, she might as well see what else she can get. "Can I have a venom sample too?"

"Why would you need that?"

"Because I want to study it, see what is in it that causes the transformation and seals wounds. Think about the ramifications for human medicine if I could isolate the healing properties without all the fire-inducing stuff. I also want to understand what is venomous about it, because it seems to me that it's the blood draining that kills people, not the venom."

"Alright. Just be careful. I don't want you accidentally injecting yourself with it." Bella hadn't even thought of that, which surprised her. It was an interesting idea, but she'd want to study it first. Besides, she only had one semester left to get her master's degree, and she was determined to finish.

"Do you think it has a half-life? Or does it maintain its potency forever?"

"I don't know. Why do you ask?" She wasn't about to answer that question, so a little diversion was in order.

"Don't know. Just wondering. So… all your secretions are venomous, correct?"

"I believe so. We really only have two, saliva and…um…"

"Ejaculate?" He looked up at her like a deer in the headlights, then quickly put his head back down. It was adorable.

"Yes. That."

"Could I have a sample of that too?"

"What! Why?" Jasper started stuttering. "You…you…you really expect me to jerk off in a cup for you?"

"Well, yeah. There are stories of women seduced by incubus vampires who went on to have children by them. The stories were primarily from a time before birth control, so my theory is that these were just women who were having affairs or getting their pre-marital mojo on and ended up knocked up. They blamed it on vampires to maintain their honor. I would love to check it out, compare vampire spunk to the venom in your mouth, check for little swimmers, that sort of thing."

"Oh my god, Bella. I don't even know what to say to that." Bella was kind of enjoying getting Jasper all flustered, when suddenly Jasper's eyes went dark and he started stalking towards Bella slowly, with predatory purpose. She didn't know whether to run or spontaneously orgasm. She kept walking backwards until she bumped into a tree. Jasper pressed himself against her, trapping her against the tree, slowly slid one finger down her jaw from ear to chin, and whispered in the other ear. "I don't have any materials to masturbate to up here, Sunshine. You might need to _inspire_ me."

Well, that decided it. Spontaneous orgasm, coming right up.

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: _**A couple of people were disappointed about me disregarding the mating thing. I just didn't want to have the same, boring 'Alice and I were partners but not true mates' conversation that is in every other J/B story out there, including my own. And I thought it was funny. :) Don't worry, it doesn't mean that J/B won't be Always and Forever.


	10. Chapter 10

It was supposed to be a joke, a tease to regain the upper hand in the conversation. But suddenly it wasn't. Suddenly he wanted nothing more than to kiss her, claim her, pleasure her until she saw stars. He watched with rapt fascination as her breathing became shallow, her eyes dilated ever so slightly, her heart stuttered and then raced. Her body temperature raised a couple of points, not evenly, but blossoming in pleasing areas he wanted to explore.

His eyes focused on her lips, damp and full and quivering. His mind was caught in a rapid circle of 'should I – shouldn't I' when Bella suddenly closed her eyes, shook her head and somehow managed to clear herself of every lusty emotion she'd had a moment ago. It hadn't been all him, had it? Was he projecting and just didn't realize it?

"Oh, please. You forget who you're talking to. Vamps have photographic memory. Just close your eyes and recall some _materials_ you've seen before." Before he could reply, she ducked under his arm and out of his grasp.

The moment lost, Jasper adjusted himself and refocused on the task at hand. "The wolves are close, I can hear them." Excited, Bella dropped her backpack to the ground and started shuffling through it. "What are ya lookin' for?"

"My tranquilizer gun. I want to make sure I can track them remotely." Jasper thought about offering to just grab them and tag them for her – no tranquilizer gun needed – but he stopped himself. She was just far too excited. So instead he put his finger to her lips and whispered 'Shhhh', which she found very funny for some reason, and led her over a ridge. Once they were close, Jasper wrapped his arm around her waist and jumped silently into the trees where they had a bird's eye view of the pack of winter wolves, complete with three new puppies.

Bella cocked her gun by her face. She looked so cute, Jasper couldn't help but tease her. "I'm hunting wabbits," he whispered in his best Elmer Fudd impersonation. Bella scowled at him, turned her attention to the wolves, locked her arm straight in front of her, and proceeded to take 9 shots in rapid succession. She didn't miss once. It very well may have been the sexiest thing he had ever seen.

Twenty five minutes later, every wolf in the pack had been tagged, collared and photographed. She'd taken measurements and blood samples, checked their teeth, and even plucked a thorn-sized splinter from the paw of one of the puppies. She was all business, incredibly efficient, a sight to behold. They left just as the first of the wolves started to show movement.

"Yay! Snape is gonna be so proud! Weren't those puppies adorable?" Bella was so happy, her emotions making him feel warm inside.

"Oh yeah, they looked delicious."

"Not cool, Jazz. Endangered."

"Delicacy."

"Grrrr…"

"Those puppies had a more ferocious growl."

Bella conceded. "So, you said you couldn't relax at the Cullens; how come?"

"Alright, I'm only doing this under one condition. I'll answer your questions if you answer mine."

"Deal."

"Okay, think about it for a minute. First, there was emo-Edward, no offense."

"None taken. He was a whiny, bossy little bitch at times." Jasper chuckled.

"That he was. Next you have eternally horny Emmett. And then there was Esme – she was her own special sort of crazy."

"Esme?" Bella was genuinely surprised.

"Oh God, yes. She was the reason we kept having to do high school, you know. It had nothing to do with us blending in. We would have been much better able to do that as three married couples and a single young man in separate homes, but Esme has some neuroses where she feels the need to wipe the noses of hundred year old vampires, and Carlisle indulged her, creating that lame ass, cockamamie family history. Honest to God, I couldn't believe it when she told me to call her mom. I'm 51 years older than her! And it wasn't just when there were humans around. The way she would scold us like two year olds whenever we cussed or put our feet on the coffee table." Jasper scrunched his nose in irritation. "Please. Anyway, so you've got those three, add in the pixie, the psycho bitch and Doc, and the emotions in that house were a constant, swirling witch's brew for me. I was miserable. My only break from the emotions in the house was the emotions of high school. I'm not sure which was worse.

"I couldn't take it anymore. I begged Alice to go away with me, just the two of us. I mean, for years I begged, but she wouldn't do it. Not even after we left you. Edward ran off to pout, and Emmett and Rose went on holiday in Africa, so I thought maybe, just maybe, this time she'd say yes, but she didn't. She insisted on staying with Carlisle and Esme, saying they'd already lost three of their 'children'. I had to make a choice, and I made it. There was no drama, really, it had been a long time coming."

"And now you can relax?"

"Yes, I see Samuel three times a week, helping him keep his farm up and running. And once or twice a month I go into town to drop off more paintings and pick up supplies. Other than that, it's just me, Traveller, and the most peaceful vista I've ever seen."

"I hope my showing up hasn't put a kink in that."

"No, not at all. For the most part, I find your emotions highly amusing. Like a mental tickle. But enough about me, your turn. Tell me, were you alright when we left? I was worried about you."

Bella shrugged, embarrassed. "I did the melodramatic teenage girl thing for a while. Well, honestly, I was exponentially worse. But I finally snapped out of it, and I'm over him now."

"So if he showed up at the cabin tonight telling you he still loves you, would you take him back?" Jasper felt bad about the question the moment he felt her spike of panic. He wasn't even sure why he asked it.

"He's not coming here, is he? I mean, you said that…"

"Bella, calm down. It was only a hypothetical. I have no idea where he is and vice versa, and I am pretty sure we're both completely okay with that." He could practically taste her relief.

"Oh, alright. To answer your question, no, I wouldn't take him back. Rat bastard told me he didn't love me and left me in the woods. I had hypothermia when one of the pack found me hours later, although I didn't know about their genetic enhancements at the time."

"He did WHAT?" Jasper had visions of tearing him into pieces, really tiny pieces, then spreading those pieces over seven continents and dropping his head into the bottom of the Arctic Ocean. That ought to give him a couple hundred years to think about how to treat a woman.

"Cool your jets. I'm fine, and obviously I don't get lost in the woods anymore." Jasper realized she hadn't tripped once, but navigated through the bracken and briars with ease. She was no longer a clumsy little girl, but a beautiful, confident young woman.

"I went back to check on you once, right after Alice and I separated. You'd just left for college."

"Awww, that's sweet. Gotta admit, if I ever thought any of you would have come back, you'd have been last on my list, well, right above Rosalie, anyway."

"They made me stay away from you back then, Alice and Edward. Claimed it was because of my lack of control, which was bullshit really. I haven't had one issue with bloodlust since I left the Cullens. They were the ones causing my control problems, between their own bloodlust, the constant stress of their emotions and their scrutiny."

"Well, that kinda pisses me off, I gotta say. I always wanted to get to know you better."

"Well, now's your chance. Whatdya wanna know?"

"Hmmm… tell me about your human life."

They continued walking at a human pace for a while, answering each other's questions. He told her about his time in the Civil War and the Vampire Wars. She told him about her friend Jacob and how he and the shapeshifters had protected her and saved her from Victoria's twisted mind. Jasper snorted at that. Edward wasn't even the one to kill James. Jasper killed him. Edward was too busy being a pussy about letting Bella become a vampire, although in retrospect, he was really glad for that now. Bella had definitely come into her own, in both spirit and body. She had pleasing curves now, tone but soft. He would definitely be imagining them later when Bella forces him to cum in a cup.

When Bella got sleepy, he picked her up and ran the rest of the way home, but didn't know where to put her down. Last night, she'd pulled some hay out of the stable, laid her sleeping bag on it and slept under the stars, but there was a chill in the air tonight that made Jasper uncomfortable with that idea. Either that, or he was still dwelling on the hypothermia thing. Maybe he could burn Edward's fingertips and toes, simulate how that must have felt for Bella. He smiled at that idea.

Jasper took her inside the cabin, set up her sleeping bag near the wood burning stove and fired it up. He wasn't pleased with her stuck on the hard floor, but it would have to do for tonight. He wondered how long she would stay, and if she'd ever come back once she left. Perhaps he should buy her a bed, although there really wasn't enough room for one. A foldaway cot would do the trick for this trip. He would run into town in the morning. Maybe after she was gone, he would have to think about saving up and expanding the cabin a bit. He'd have to figure out a way to do it himself this time, though. He didn't think he could handle another invasion.

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><p><strong><em>AN:_** I'm sorry for not getting an update out the past couple of days. I am a tad under the weather at the moment. Oh, and a big shout-out to JaspersDestiny, who I heart hard and who makes me laugh until I have to pee, for her awesome blog recommendation of my silly little tale. She wants me to change the title back to Ansel Adams and the Search for the Yeti. I'll put up a poll on my profile, see what y'all think.

Someone asked me a very good question - why Ansel Adams, when Jasper paints, he doesn't take pictures, and why the Yeti, when they're looking for Bigfoot. I chose Ansel Adams for the zen-like qualities of his art, which Jasper's current state of mind resonates with, as he mentions in the first chapter. A lot of people find the same calming effect in Jasper's paintings, which is why they're so popular. I will probably go back and focus on that a little more, but just so you know. As for the yeti, everyone Bella talks to confuses the two (which frustrates her to no end) so I thought it was funny to do the same in the title.

Thank you so much for your reviews - I love them all! Next update - the search for Bigfoot begins! Since this one was all JPOV, I expect the next one will be all BPOV.


	11. Chapter 11

Bella, half awake, rolled over and stretched, her back crackling back into alignment, before snuggling deeper into her warm and toasty sleeping bag. She was all set to go back to sleep when she smelled something wonderful. Something she hadn't smelled in days. Something that had her mouth watering and her eyes opening, searching desperately for it.

Coffee.

Looking over at the one overstuffed leather chair in the tiny living room, Bella saw Jasper sitting there smiling back at her, a steaming cup of coffee and a brown paper bag in his hands.

"I promise I wasn't doing the creepy watching-you-while-you-sleep thing, honest. I ran into town and got you some breakfast, and when I got back, it seemed like you were starting to stir, so I came inside. Thought you might want it before it got cold. I don't exactly have a microwave here. Sorry if I woke you."

Bella reached out both her hands, grasping for it like a baby wanting its rattle. Jasper laughed, started to hand it to her, then took it just out of her reach, making her lunge for it. He laughed even harder when she growled at him, then handed it back. She took a long pull, moaning almost obscenely, before wiping her upper lip with satisfaction.

Better than Mike's.

"How'd you know how I like my coffee? I didn't drink coffee in high school."

"Lucky guess, I suppose. I got you a muffin too."

"I think I just may love you, Jasper Whitlock." The moment Bella said it, she realized what an idiot she was. What the hell was wrong with her? Jasper cocked his head to the side and studied her inquisitively, but didn't reply. She kinda wished she could read his emotions the way he could read hers. "Oh, don't get yourself all flustered. I'm pretty sure I'm in love with the Ben and Jerry guys too."

The sun was rising and the light started to stream through the lead window, casting everything in a warm glow. Bella looked around the room for the first time, and a painting on the wall caught her attention. It was beautiful, really, all blues and browns and grays, striking against the log wall. But something had her puzzled.

"Jasper, why is there a painting of a giant 'B' in your living room?" It was cursive and slightly abstract, but to her it seemed to be glaring from the center of the painting.

"What?" He turned to look at the painting, tilting his head first from one side, then to the other. "Huh." He turned back to her and shrugged. "It wasn't intentional. Nothing about that painting was. It was my first one, and it was just kind of instinctual, I guess. It was therapeutic, in a way, just feeling and letting whatever wanted to come out, come out."

"And what came out was a big, brown, swirly B?"

"In your eyes. Everyone interprets art a different way. Although now that you mention it, it's all I can see when I look at it."

"Kind of like an ink blot?"

Jasper chuckled. "Yeah."

"Still, there's something very soothing this painting. All of them, really. I remember thinking the ones for sale in town reminded me of an Ansel Adams picture. Even in paintings, you have a calming ability."

"I don't know about all that, but thank you, and it's funny you say that about Ansel Adams. I often think he would have loved to photograph this spot."

There was just something about Jasper that made her breathe a little easier, relax and chill out a bit. Usually she was so focused, driven. Slightly crazed. But around him, here in this place, she could start to imagine a different way of life, one where time moved slower and life was tranquil.

"Did you want me to paint your wolves today, or are we hunting for Bigfoot?" Bella could tell he wasn't fully on board with the Bigfoot theory, but that was alright. He was taking her seriously enough to tag along and help, and she was looking forward to not only his assistance but his company.

"Bigfoot. I have some maps in my bag where I've marked off the areas I covered on my previous expeditions, plus tagged the sites of supposed sightings. I was thinking you should look it over, let me know where you've been while hunting, any sections we can definitely eliminate, then plot out a course. Let's try and arrange it so we can take The Princess Bride and Wilbur," Bella said, pointing out the window to the horses, who hadn't moved three steps from each other the entire time she'd been there. She couldn't tell from this distance, but it looked like Jasper had woven wildflowers into her mane.

"Wilbur?"

"You know, the talking horse? Angela has this theory he could really talk."

"His name was Mister Ed. Wilbur was the owner. And they would put sticky peanut butter in his mouth to make him 'talk'. Kinda mean when you think about it."

"Well, there's one supernatural creature I can mark off the list," Bella joked. "Angela's gonna be heartbroken."

Bella rolled her maps out onto the floor, sitting next to them on her knees with her sharpie in hand. She found it amazingly distracting to feel Jasper behind her, looking over her shoulder, his cool breath tickling her neck. Damn, did he smell good. The moment up against the tree yesterday flashed through her mind, and she felt the heat creep up her neck. It was so hard walking away from that, but she couldn't help but think it was a colossally bad idea. After all, she was leaving in a little less than a week, and one night stands were never her thing. Plus, he was a vampire, and a Cullen to boot. Okay, ex-Cullen. But, God, she wanted him, like she'd never wanted anyone before. And if he was even half the size she felt pressed up against her yesterday, she would be a lucky girl.

"Bella?" Jasper whispered to her, his voice low and husky. She knew he could feel the way it affected her, and when she got up the courage to slowly turn and look in his eyes, she was only mildly surprised to find them black.

He gave her no time to talk herself out of it today, and when he leaned in to kiss her, every excuse she had floated away into nothing. She ran her fingers in his hair and returned his kiss with gentle passion. The kiss was slow, tender, exploring without devouring. It was like a revelation, the type of kiss poets write sonnets about. She was completely lost in it, until he tried to deepen the kiss. Shocked, a little scared, and a whole lot confused, she pulled back abruptly.

"What are you doing?"

"Ummm… I thought it was obvious. I was kissing you." She knew that look. He was looking at her like she was crazy. She got that a lot.

"No, I mean with your tongue. Edward said vampires and humans couldn't French. You know, venom and all that."

"Edward was a prude. And a bit paranoid and overprotective. If you get enough venom in your mouth, it might feel a bit tingly, but that'd be about it. The only time we would have cause for concern would be if, say, your gums were bleeding or you bit your lip or something. Then it could get into your bloodstream. Other than that, no worries."

She tucked this information in the back of her head for later. The scientist part of her wanted to write it down, analyze it, edit her notes. The rest of her told the scientist to shut the hell up and kiss him.

The second kiss was even better than the first one. Jasper's arms wove around her, enveloping her in a loving embrace, pulling her onto his lap, tilting his head to deepen the kiss. It was heaven, and Bella loathed having to pull away for oxygen. She laid her head on his shoulder to catch her breath, so Jasper focused his attention on her neck, covering her with soft kisses and nuzzling his nose in her hair. Bella hummed contentedly and felt Jasper smile against her skin, then with one final kiss just behind her ear, rested his cheek atop Bella's head. They stayed like that for a while, not progressing or talking or even really thinking.

"What is this?" Jasper whispered a while later, and Bella wasn't sure if he was actually asking her or just muttering to himself.

"I'm not sure. We don't really have to put a label on it right now, do we? I mean, this is all brand spankin' new. I'm here for the week, let's just enjoy our time together for now." Bella was suddenly glad this was not an official expedition. She'd found her wolves already, and had a promise of vampire spunk to take back to her lab. If she did nothing else the rest of the week besides Jasper, it would still be a success.

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><p><em><strong>AN:**_ It helps if you make the poll visible on your profile, doesn't it? *rolls eyes at self* Oh, and a big shout out to Fellowship of the Peen (WordyBitches) for the update tweets!


	12. Chapter 12

When Jasper was with Maria, she led, he followed, from the moment he met her. She told him who to change, who to train, who to kill, and he did it without question or complaint.

When Jasper was with Alice, she led, he followed, from the moment he met her. She told him what to wear, what to eat, where to live, and he did it without question or complaint.

In retrospect, it was damn embarrassing.

But here with Bella, it wasn't like that. She wasn't leading and he wasn't following. She wanted his opinion, but didn't disregard her own. She was attracted to him, he could sense it, but it wasn't an overpowering lust. He could even feel affection coming from her, but it wasn't an obsessive, all-consuming need. It just felt like a normal, slowly developing… relationship? Truth be told, Jasper had no idea how to do that, but it seemed healthy and he liked it.

"You did it. You really did it. I mean, I thought you did, but I still can't believe you actually did it." Bella rolled her eyes at him as Belle whinnied in approval and shook her head, showing off her freshly braided mane with pink wildflowers woven in.

"Well, after you went to sleep I painted and cleaned out the stable. After that, I had some free time on my hands, so I decided to brush the horses down and braid Belle's hair."

"You know, I see many sides of you - the quiet, slightly scary Cullen, the proud, calculating Civil War Major, the relaxed cowboy recluse painter," Bella paused for a moment, contemplative, and Jasper reveled in the swirl of emotions around her. "A few others, but this girly-slash-sensitive side, I can't quite wrap my head around," she teased, then her face scrunched up for a moment, a habit of hers he noticed when she was thinking something through. "Would you braid mine?"

"You want me to braid your hair?" Bella's eyes twinkled, and Jasper had to admit he loved the idea of having an excuse to run his fingers through her long, luxurious hair.

"Well, yeah. Did you see how many twigs and leaves I had stuck in my hair when I came out of the woods? Not my best look."

"Oh, I don't know, if Bigfoot were looking for a mate, I'm sure he would have been most impressed."

Bella smacked him, then shook the sting off her hand. "Jackass. Never mind."

"No, no, come here. Get out your brush and sit on the barrel, it'll just take a second." Jasper disappeared like a flash into the woods, and by the time she'd found her brush, he was back with a handful of flowers, this time purple. Bella hummed, feeling pampered as he ran his fingers through her hair and brushed out all the knots. It took him no time at all to French braid her hair, decorated all the way through with tiny lavender blossoms. "Done." She looked beautiful, delicate and feminine mixed with confident and self-assured.

Bella touched the braid, careful not to damage the flowers. "Thanks."

With that accomplished, they were on their way. Since they were taking both horses, they were able to distribute the gear between them and ride, which made Jasper unbelievably happy. It wasn't like he needed to ride a horse to keep from getting tired. It just felt good, like a happy memory. Plus, the fact that Traveller actually trusted him enough to let Jasper ride him warmed his heart. He couldn't keep the smile off his face.

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><p>Bella couldn't stop herself from glancing over at Jasper throughout the day as they rode to the first stop on the map. He was barely recognizable from the man she knew in Forks. He'd always been handsome, even if he always looked like he had to go to the bathroom, but now he was just sexy as hell. Even his voice sounded altered, sultry. Back then, every word out of his mouth sounded filled with tension, as though it were painful to even speak. Quite the transformation for a vampire who's body isn't supposed to be capable of change. She wondered what the difference was. He was not so standoffish anymore, not reserved. He smiled and laughed and was one hell of a kisser. Goodness, was he an amazing kisser. Between that kiss and the tree, he'd almost made her come twice and they hadn't even gotten to second base.<p>

"Whatcha thinkin' about over there, Sunshine?" Jasper asked with a smirk.

"Wouldn't you like to know," she retorted, knowing that he already did, but not about to 'fess up. Or maybe she should. He certainly didn't seem to mind that she wanted to jump his bones.

Jasper cleared his throat. A little unnecessary for a vampire, she thought. It's not like they have phlegm. "There's a clearing up ahead with a stream, I think we might want to stop and camp there for the night, give the horses a rest."

"Sounds good." Now that she thought about it, her butt was really beginning to hurt, and her muscles were tightening up. When she hopped off the horse and stretched, she groaned in discomfort.

"You use a whole different set of muscles when you ride than when you hike. Why don't you go freshen up by the stream while I set up the tent and get a fire going." Jasper walked toward her until he was only a few inches away, taking Belle's lead out of Bella's hand. "Then if you like," he said softly, "I could give you a massage."

Bella couldn't speak. She could barely swallow. Her body flushed from head to toe. "Uhhh…"

Jasper chuckled, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "I'll take that as a yes." Bella nodded then turned away, embarrassed at her reaction. Why couldn't she control her emotions better around him? It was so frustrating.

She splashed the icy cold water on her face and scrubbed her hands, taking a moment to watch a woodpecker on the other side of the stream happily banging his head against the tree. She smiled when he found his prize and plucked out a bug. "Good job," she told him before turning to leave.

When she got back, the fire was already going, the tent was up, and Jasper was walking towards her with the collapsible bowls and the canteen. She noticed his skin reflected light differently than Edward's did, not as uniformly. Probably a result of the scars. She liked the effect, it was more complex, more interesting. "Just getting you and the horses some water. I'll be right back." Bella got some crackers and dried fruit out of one of the satchels and sat on a log Jasper had obviously set up as a makeshift bench. It felt so good, sitting by the fire, breathing in the clean mountain air, the setting sun still warm on her face. There was nothing like being surrounded by the majesty of nature.

When Jasper got back, he said nothing but lowered himself to his knees behind her, moved her hair to one side, and began at the base of her skull, gently but firmly massaging every kink out of her neck and shoulders with his skilled fingers. She was putty in his hands well before he kissed the nape of her neck and whispered in her ear. "If you want to remove your clothes and lie down, I can do the rest."

And there goes spontaneous orgasm number 3.

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><p><strong><em>AN:_** The poll is split right down the middle, 50/50. Does that mean I should rename it Ansel Adams and the Search for Lost Souls? LOL


	13. Chapter 13

**_A/N: _**Not safe for work, or anywhere there may be small children looking over your shoulder. Just sayin'. ;)

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><p>Traveller approved. Jasper could sense it. He twisted his head to look behind him and sure enough, Traveller was nodding at him with a look that just screamed 'About time, stud!' Bella hadn't replied yet, so it may be a case of putting the cart before the horse, as the saying goes.<p>

Bella's eyes followed Jasper's gaze as she shakily stood. "Inside the tent. I don't want the horses watching."

"I agree." Those horses were just a little too intelligent. Jasper stayed outside for just a moment, carefully warming his hands by the fire. Hopefully the effect would be akin to a hot stone massage.

Jasper then followed Bella into the tiny enclosure, and he wasn't positive if the nervousness he felt was from Bella or himself. For a moment that thought irritated him; that was the exact thing he was trying to avoid when he'd left the Cullens, but he shook it off. Bella was worth it.

Especially when she turned her back to him, looked over her shoulder to lock gazes with him, and started to strip.

First came her jersey shirt. She had the most glorious back, smooth and long, with just the faintest hint of backbone showing. He couldn't wait to run his fingers along it, and hopefully his lips. He prayed to whatever deity would listen that she took off the bra too, and when she did, he thanked them and promised to worship her body in their honor.

Next came her jeans, which had obviously been designed for hiking and not showing off her assets, because they served no justice to the shape that emerged as she bent over to step out of them. She had such wonderful curves. She'd probably gained 15 pounds since he knew her before, and in all the right places, such as the resplendent ass currently covered in translucent red silk panties. She left them on when she laid belly down on the sleeping bag.

That simply would not do.

Jasper kicked off his hiking boots and took off his belt so he could get close to her without it scratching her. Then, straddling her perfect ass, he pulled a small bottle of lavender oil out of his pocket (not that he'd planned it or anything) and began her massage.

"You're hands are so warm," Bella mumbled as though it were something wondrous.

"Fire."

"Mmm… feels so good…" Jasper bent down, pressing his hard length against her through his jeans as he whispered in her ear.

"You have no idea what it does to me when you say things like that."

"Nnnngh… don't stop…" Jasper thrust his hips against her gently in response.

"Oh, Sunshine, the things I'm gonna do to you." Jasper returned to his massage, now working on her lower back, quite pleased that she seemed incapable of proper speech. He worked each muscle until he felt the pop as every kink released.

"Time for these to come off." Jasper snapped the sides of her silk panties before tapping her hips, prompting her to lift them ever so slightly so he could slide them down her voluptuous legs. He could have just ripped them off, he supposed, but he didn't imagine she brought too many spare pairs, and it wasn't as though there was a Victoria's Secret or La Perla nearby. Although the idea of Bella going commando definitely had appeal…

The red fabric in his hand distracted him for a moment, made him think of something. "Bella, are you pure?"

Bella turned her head and opened one eye. "You mean am I a virgin? No, I'm not. Does that bother you?"

"No. I mean, obviously I'm not either, I just wanted to be prepared if there was a possibility of… bleeding."

"Mmm… No worries." She closed her eye again, a serene smile on her face.

Jasper went back to his massage, thoroughly working her gluts before slowly traveling down her thighs, loving how she squirmed every time he caressed her inner thighs, taking his fingers to within millimeters of where she obviously wanted them without ever going there. He tickled the backs of her knees, stroked her calves, then massaged her ankles and feet to the very tips of her toes. He moved back up and paid some attention to her arms and hands, making sure not one centimeter of her that he could reach had gone untouched before rolling her over and taking in her glory for the first time.

She was sheer perfection. Not the hard lines of Maria, or the childlike features of Alice. Bella was all woman, not too much without ever being not enough.

"Please Bella, may I make love to you? Now?" Bella responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and tugging. Her intense relaxation and lust danced around him in equal measure. He needed no further confirmation, throwing off his clothes and lowering himself onto her carefully. As promised, he worshipped her, first with long, deep kisses. Then caresses and strokes and gentle tugs on her tiny pink nipples, his lips following the path his fingers left. He worked his way down her stomach, pausing to swirl his tongue in her belly button before heading to his ultimate destination. He couldn't ignore her increasing nervousness though.

He rested his chin on her pelvic bone and looked up at her. "What's wrong?"

"It's just that I've never had a guy... down there." She whispered the last two words and Jasper found this sudden bout of shyness endearing, if a bit out of character for her.

"Well then, you're in for a treat. Lay back and relax, Sunshine. Let Jasper take good care of you." He didn't wait to see if she followed his instruction before spreading her legs wider and dipping his tongue into her center. She was so soft here, and hotter it seemed than the fire had been. He could almost feel the blood rushing through her swollen flesh as it quivered. She tasted nothing like he'd expected and he couldn't get enough.

Jasper focused on her clit while sliding one finger into her. She may not have been a virgin, but damn she was tight. He slid a second finger in, curled them in and began massaging her on the inside. It didn't take long before she exploded around him. With a self-satisfied smirk, Jasper crawled up Bella's body and began kissing the underside of her jaw.

"You were right about the venom," she whispered breathlessly. "Tingly." Jasper chuckled at that. He placed a gentle kiss on her lips as he slid his hand down her side, grasping her hip to guide himself into her. They gasped together at the sensation of being joined. She was wrapped so snuggly around him. He'd never felt anything like it – they fit together like a hand in glove.

Jasper took long, slow strokes as they stared into each other's eyes. Bella's hand rested on his cheek, her thumb stroking his cheekbone. It was so much more intimate than anything he'd ever experienced. This wasn't sex. This was more, so much more. He felt like he should say something, but he wasn't sure what, and he didn't want to take a chance of breaking the spell. Instead he kissed her palm and bent his head down, putting his cheek next to hers and wrapping his arms around her back, needing her to be closer still.

Bella wrapped her arms around his back, her palms cupping his shoulder blades, and he could feel her squeezing around his length. With one final stroke, he seated himself deep within her as they released together.

Once her breathing had returned to something close to normal and her heart rate had slowed down a bit, Jasper rolled them over and a half-asleep Bella snuggled happily into his side, kissing the nape of his neck before drifting off to dreamland. Jasper closed his eyes, letting the feelings of her sleepiness wash over him, relaxing him. If he'd thought his newfound life was perfect, he was wrong. Perfection was here, in this moment, and he was going to treasure it for as long as it lasted.

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><p><strong><em>AN: _**I've had a lot of requests to repost Edward's Release lately. I pulled it to avoid attention during the witch hunts over stories with mature themes. I will try and repost it later this week for you. When I do, please show it some love. When I took it down, it had 750 reviews for three chapters. It would make me a little sad to see it on there with 2 reviews. (Yes, JaspersDestiny, I'm a review whore lol. I'm looking into 12 step programs for it).


	14. Chapter 14

Bella awoke in Jasper's warm arms, marveling at how his body temperature had adjusted to hers over the course of the night. Huh. Kind of like how satin sheets always feel cold until you warm them up, she supposed. She got a little vexed thinking about all the times Edward had wrapped her up like a caterpillar in a cocoon. She didn't have long to think about that, though; Jasper's arms squeezed around her and he kissed the top of her hair.

Because it wasn't like he was sleeping.

"Good morning, Sunshine," Jasper whispered in her ear before kissing it. Bella could feel him pressed up against her thigh. Vampires get morning wood too, it seems. Good to know. Jasper appeared all too anxious to put said wood to good use, but that just wasn't happening.

Bella turned her head away from his highly kissable and fast approaching lips. "Mm-mm," she shook her head no. "Toothbrush." Jasper chuckled and released her. "What, no argument? No 'I don't mind'?"

"Bella, who am I to tell you not to go brush your teeth if you want to brush your teeth?" Bella thought on that for a moment. Cool. "Besides, vampires do have increased sense of smell, after all… and taste… so, yeah, brushing might not be a bad idea." Bella's jaw dropped and Jasper burst out laughing so hard he clearly woke up the horses, who were suddenly laughing right along with him. "Kidding, kidding – kinda!" He put his hands in front of his face and laughed even harder when she hit him over the head with the pillow. He was still laughing as she grabbed her toiletries bag and headed for the stream, flipping the horses the bird on her way past.

There was no woodpecker to distract her from the quiet music of the trickling creek this time. It was no wonder people made recordings of just this sort of sound to fall asleep to. She hated disturbing it with the splashing required to wet her toothbrush and wash her face.

When she got back to the campsite she found Jasper feeding the horses, seemingly having a silent conversation with them. He plucked a few stray twigs from Belle's hair, earning him a nuzzle, and gave Traveller a pat on the flanks before turning to her with an absolutely dazzling smile on his face. She waited for him to approach her, but he didn't. He just stood there with his arms crossed in front of his chest, the same chest that Bella just did not have enough opportunity to explore last night, which was a crying shame.

"Are you gonna kiss me or not?" he asked, and Bella found herself running towards him. He caught her in midair and she wrapped her arms around him, kissing him soundly. "Mmmm… minty fresh," he teased before kissing her again. He sat her down after a few moments, which was probably a good thing or else Bella might have forgotten the 'no sex in front of the freaky smart horses' rule.

"Do you really like the taste of mint, or does it taste just as gross as other human food?"

"It's not as bad as other non-blood flavors. I've been forced to drink tea a couple of times at Samuel's and mint is definitely the easiest to tolerate, probably because I can almost remember the taste of mint juleps from my human days and always found them refreshing. I was just teasing you, though. When we kiss, all I taste is _you_." Should that statement have made her wet and tingly? Because it did. And Jasper seemed to know it. He kissed her again for emphasis, deep and intoxicating.

"Come on, Sunshine, let's get you something to eat and plan out our day." Bella pulled a protein bar out of her bag and Jasper rekindled the fire so she could make coffee.

"Why do you call me Sunshine?"

"Oh!" Jasper disappeared, reappearing next to Traveller, where he took something from one of the saddlebags. "This is why. It's your book, you left it at… well, I found it…anyway. Here." Jasper outstretched his hand towards Bella, who was stunned to see her poetry book. She knew exactly where she left it, and couldn't help but smile at its return.

"Thank you so much!" Bella clung the book to her chest. "This book was my grandmother's, and I thought it was just one more thing I'd lost that day. But what does this have to do with the 'sunshine' thing?"

" 'Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.' It's a Ralph Waldo Emerson quote in your book. That's what I did when I came here. That's the philosophy I embraced. I started living in the moment, found the tranquility and the wild air, but it wasn't until you came along that I realized I'd been missing out on the sunshine part."

"I love you," she sighed. There it was again. How did that keep coming out of her mouth unbidden? She was thinking up what was sure to be another witty addendum before she embarrassed herself when he cut off her train of thought.

"I love you too, Bella."

"Wha… what?"

Jasper pulled her into his arms and rubbed the tip of his nose against hers. "I love you too. That's okay, isn't it?" Bella nodded, not quite wrapping her head around this turn of events. Jasper snickered and kissed her lightly. "Can we sit and talk about this for a few?" Another head nod.

"Bella, even when we were in Forks and I was still with Alice, I was attracted to you. I always blew it off, figuring it wasn't really me, it was just Edward's feelings influencing me. Besides, you were a girl then, and you still had some growin' up to do. But now, you're different. You're this amazing, beautiful, sassy, intelligent, crazy woman and I find myself attracted to you all over again. But this time I know it's me, and I know it's real. I'm not foolish. I know in less than a week you are going back to school to finish your degree. Don't worry, there won't be any awkward conversations with me begging you to stay or chasing after you or anything like that. But I've spent too much of my life either living in the past or in Alice's vision of the future. I want to live for now. Right now. And I don't want to waste a single moment of the time we have together, or the time after you leave, thinking I should have told you how I feel."

Wow. Jasper had just singlehandedly shot down her every objection before she'd even had a chance to voice them.

"I am, however, going to be doing some work on the cabin after you leave so that if, when school is done, you want to come back to me, there'll be a bathroom and a kitchen."

"And a bed?" Bella asked hopefully.

Jasper pulled Bella onto his lap so her legs were wrapped around his waist once more. "Definitely a bed."

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: _**I'm glad I'm not the only one who has to lock the pets out of the room when hubby and I have 'alone time'! He swears the cat shoots 'you violated my mommy!' glares at him anytime we don't! LOL


	15. Chapter 15

If Jasper had a little time to think about it, it might have bothered him how relieved Bella was after his speech about not chasing after her or begging her to stay. After all, it went without saying that he did want her to stay, even if he understood why she couldn't, and it would have been nice to have been invited to go with her, even if he really wouldn't have wanted to go. It _might_ have bothered him, except for the fact that Bella was currently giving him the most amazing blowjob of his life.

Her hot little mouth wrapped around his girth, her tongue flicking and swirling and caressing him in all the right places, and the way she took him into her throat just enough that his tip vibrated when she hummed were all enough to send him to the edge. Then she had to look up at him through her long, thick lashes and smile around his cock.

"Oh… Jesus, Bella… can't hold on… gonna come…"

Then Bella did the strangest thing.

The moment he warned her of his impending orgasm, she popped him out of her mouth - much to his chagrin - wiped the head of his member with an uncomfortably cold and rough alcohol swab, pulled a plastic cup out of thin air, aimed his penis at the cup and started jerking him off, yelling "Give it to me, baby!"

It was a damn good thing he was already past the point of no return.

Bella somehow managed to catch it all in the cup, screwing the cap on and lifting the cup up to the light to inspect the fluid within with rapt fascination.

"What the hell was that?" He knew what had happened, he was just in utter disbelief that she'd done it.

"Better than porn, right?"

"A little warning might have been nice!"

"Then you would have been nervous and might not have enjoyed it as much. You'd already agreed to it, I didn't figure you'd mind my method of collection."

Jasper couldn't argue with that, even if it probably meant she wasn't going to be putting on a show for 'inspiration' after all. He had really been looking forward to that. "What was with the alcohol wipe?"

Bella looked at him like it should have been obvious. "I didn't want my saliva contaminating the sample, of course."

"Yeah, but now my dick smells like a hospital."

Bella set the sample down delicately then crawled over his legs, urging him to lay back down. She ran her nose along the inside of his thigh, right up against his balls and now hard-again erection, inhaling deeply. "I am all too familiar with the scent of hospitals, and believe me when I tell you, you smell waaay better."

Needless to say, they made no progress on the search for Bigfoot that day.

Or the next.

Or the day after that. But at least Bella didn't get any less exercise than she would have hiking.

They did manage to find the time between cuddles by the fire and love-making sessions for Bella to collect a sample of the venom in Jasper's mouth, so she was happy. Giving her a suitable hair sample had proved difficult, however. He tried three times, but each time, the hair broke off as opposed to pulling out of his head with a follicle attached. Jasper drew a line in the sand when Bella came up with a Plan B that involved scraping cells from the inside of his cheek. It wasn't like it would grow back.

"So I was thinking…" Bella began. Jasper eyed her suspiciously. He'd quickly learned sentences that began that way were never anything good when it came to Bella.

"No Sunshine, I am not going to break off one of my fingernails for you. I mean it."

"Ooooh, there's a thought!" Bella replied excitedly, and Jasper cursed himself for putting ideas into her head. Traveller tittered in amusement. "No, what I was thinking was that I would leave my satellite phone and solar charger here with you when I go back, so we can keep in touch."

"You won't need it?" He was suddenly reconsidering his Grizzly Adams existence. He didn't like feeling like his girlfriend was supporting him. Was she his girlfriend now? What about after she was gone?

"No, I won't be using it anyway. I'm not going on any expeditions next term. This is my last semester, I need to focus on completing my thesis and sitting before the review board so I can graduate in three months' time." Bella paused and Jasper felt her sadness seep through, even though she was trying to hide it. "I am going to miss you."

Jasper wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her against his side. "I'm gonna miss you too. It's just three months though, right? Then you'll be back?"

"Sure! For one thing, I made no progress on my hunt for Bigfoot, so I'll have to make up for lost time on that front. Not that I minded." Bella wagged her eyebrows like a perv. "I want to take a little time off anyway, figure out what I want to do going forward. I love it here, it's so peaceful, seems like a good place to think. Plus, I've grown rather fond of a certain hermit-vampire who likes to hang 'round these parts."

Jasper bent down and kissed her affectionately. "He's rather fond of you too, Sunshine. Bella, are you mine?"

"Yeah, I think I am."

Despite the wave of affection from Bella, a heavy mood had settled over them, and that wasn't what he wanted. "So tell me something about Bella Swan that nobody else in the world knows."

By the time they headed back to the cabin the next morning, Jasper was certain that Bella knew him better than anyone on the planet, even Peter. And he'd learned just as much about her. Each new piece of her that he discovered was a mystery, a treasure. They spent their last night together camped out down by the lake's edge in front of his cabin, watching the sunset. The black swan was still there, but now it had found a mate, a beautiful white swan, the ying to his yang. Jasper and Bella snuggled in silence and watched the ripples on the water that trailed behind the beautiful birds.

Jasper borrowed Samuel's truck and drove Bella to the airport, where she had booked herself a hotel room for her last night before her trip, saying her fellow passengers would appreciate her having a hot shower before they had to sit next to her for three hours. For his part, he thought it was a good idea, if for no other reason than to get to spend an hour with her naked, wet, and soapy.

They shared a tearful goodbye before she boarded the plane. He promised to return Belle for her, which he hated to do but he couldn't afford to buy her, not if he was going to save up money for electricity and plumbing and three new rooms with furniture in the next three months. Traveller may never forgive him. They were going to be two heartbroken guys without their gals by their side.

On his way back to Samuel's, Jasper decided to check his post office box for the mail and see if his new paints had arrived. He had all sorts of new inspiration and was anxious to get started. Along with the box of paints, he had received an envelope written in extremely familiar, overly swirly handwriting.

Inside was a check for a quarter of a million dollars with a post-it note attached that said "Past due palimony payments. Jenks was offended you called him a lousy lawyer. :) Bella will need high speed internet. And a Jacuzzi. Love you both, Alice."


	16. Chapter 16

Jasper had been staring at the check for days. It bothered him. He didn't want the money. Or rather, he did want the money, but not from Alice. He also wasn't thrilled with the idea that she knew where he was, even if it was inevitable, Alice being Alice and all that. The bottom line was he'd worked so hard to make his own way, be his own man, and he'd done it. Accepting this money would feel like a step backwards. Actually, it would feel like 250,000 steps backwards.

On the other hand, Bella was coming back in three months' time, and if he had anything to say about it, she was never going to leave without him again. For that to happen, she had human necessities that included running water, electricity, and according to Alice – a Jacuzzi.

He decided to talk it over with Bella. He knew he could count on her to help him decide, and not in a 'do what I tell you to do' sort of way. He charged up the phone all day on the solar charger to make sure they could talk as long as possible and called her just as the sun was setting, casting everything in a lavender glow.

"Jasper!" Traveller's head shot up and he whinnied in question – 'Bella?' Jasper smiled and nodded at him. Traveller sent him some happy waves mixed with a little longing. Jasper agreed.

"Hello Sunshine."

"Hello yourself, cowboy. I miss you."

"I miss you too." Truth be told he missed her so much, he was beginning to rethink the whole 'mate' thing. It shouldn't be so difficult to be without her after only one week, should it? After all, they'd only been together a week in the first place.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Jasper took a deep breath and told her about the check from Alice and his quagmire of thoughts about it.

"It sounds to me like there would be a high emotional burden associated with accepting that money, which I can completely understand. If Edward had tried sending me a check like that, I would have burned it in the kitchen sink. Why not just send it back?" Bella replied nonchalantly when he was done.

"Because Alice thought you wanted internet and a Jacuzzi."

"Her Dionne Warwick mojo must be on the fritz. I have a wi-fi hotspot on my phone and my solar charger works great for that. As for the tub, Alice might have seen a random thought of mine considering asking you to put in a Jacuzzi on my last day there. I hadn't been in a bed for two weeks and we had been quite…energetic, and that was above and beyond the hiking and horseback riding. I was sore in places I didn't even know existed, ain't gonna lie. Doesn't mean I really expect you to buy me a whirlpool tub." Jasper could just imagine her rolling her eyes at him and it made him smile.

"But what about your other human needs?"

Bella was quiet for a moment, and it worried him.

"Bella?"

"What makes you think I want to stay human?"

* * *

><p>There. She'd said it. She held her breath as she waited for his reply.<p>

"Is that why you wanted my venom?" Jasper asked quietly. It was what she'd wanted for years, and now she held the power to change herself in a temperature controlled test tube in her private lab, thanks to Jasper. She'd already determined that the venom had no apparent half-life, meaning she could use it whenever she wanted, be it three months or three years from now. It was all she'd wanted for so long, and she still wanted it.

But not this way. She wanted to be bitten, and she wanted Jasper to be the one to do it.

"No, honestly I did want to study it. And I am – I've discovered some really cool properties to it already! Although I will admit when you mentioned accidentally injecting myself, it did give me some ideas."

Jasper laughed, and Bella instantly felt better. "I'm sure it did. Bella, if after you graduate you want to be changed, all you have to do is ask."

"Really?"

"Sure - It'll save us a ton of money in remodeling!" Jasper sounded incredibly enthusiastic about that. "Besides, I really don't think you want to wake up from the change alone, do you?"

"No, not really." The brief mental image of her teeth clamped onto Jessica's ankle like a rabid dog made her shudder.

"Well then it's settled – no kitchen, no Jacuzzi and no money from Alice. Do you still want a bed?"

"Oh yeah, I still want a bed. A very sturdy bed." Bella rubbed her legs together. Sexual frustration was a new thing for her. Guess now that her lady parts knew what they'd been missing, they were none too pleased about going back to going without.

"I think I can handle that." Not helping, Cowboy Sexy Voice. "So what did Snape think about the wolves?" Okay, that was a topic that could distract her, thank goodness. Bella told him how impressed Snape was with her wolf research and all she'd found, even going so far as to offer her a one year grant to study them fulltime after she graduated. He hadn't even flinched when she said it would give her more time to search for Bigfoot. Now that Jasper agreed to turn her, she would try to convince him to let her take a year off 'to travel' before accepting.

She'd also told him what she discovered about the venomous saliva so far. It was actually venom, albeit a very weak one, but there was a mild neurotoxin present so it qualified. There was also a stimulant component, which Bella thought was probably designed to speed up the heart while drinking from their victim, or to keep the heart pumping the venom through their system during transformation. It didn't seem to decompose when subjected to temperature variations. She had yet to discover how it had the ability to seal wounds or transform humans into vampires, however. Still, she was more than pleased with her progress in a week, even if Jasper was the only one she could tell.

Jasper filled her in on Belle, who'd won first prize at the state fair - being the supermodel horse that she was - and Traveller, who hung his head and pouted every single day until Jasper rode him over to visit her. The 4-H decided they wanted to breed Belle and had offered to pay Jasper for Traveller's stud services.

"So you're a horse pimp now, huh?" She would have to go searching for a pimp-worthy fedora to send him.

"Well, yeah, but it's not as though Traveller's complaining."

"No, I wouldn't imagine he would be! My poor Belle, though! Defiled against her will."

"She wasn't complaining either, believe me."

"That little horse ho! See, it's always the prissy ones!" Bella laughed until she cried.

Jasper had also been working on Samuel's farm every day. Apparently building the stable took more of a toll on Sam than he was willing to admit at the time and he was just plain worn out. Jasper was a little worried, but his heart sounded good, he hadn't lost any weight, and he was in high spirits, so Jasper felt those were all good signs that he just needed a few days' rest.

It was over an hour later when they finally hung up after whispered sentiments of love. Bella fell asleep shortly after, thoughts of Bigfoot and horses and hunky vampires dancing in her head.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **_So if you were looking for Edward or Alice in this story, that was it. You didn't really expect him to take it, did you? ;)


	17. Chapter 17

**_A/N: _**I want to take a moment to thank each and every one of my loyal reviewers for this story, some of whom have been with me since A Lesson in Release was a one-shot. You each make me smile with every kind word you send me. :) So here's to you...

Isabel Masen, Fleur24, smelsies, twi nana, filmdork, drtammy1511 (you crack me up!), deltagrl, chacha73, luvtwismut, TwilightAddict71484 (If I write a Bella/Bigfoot dream sequence lemon, I'm blaming you), IheartJW, tigger5600, yearprincess, KNG1986, anabely, traceybuie, savagegracex, BriyerRose, kirallie, krystal214, Princess Mishawaka, TheLadyKT, theeyeshaveit, witcheshonor, DoodleBug1101, imwithemmett, CullenCousin, lostmom, miawmiaw, Taniadanoff, wendy1969, misssmelly, marauder-fangirl, Ali Edward Cullen, MrsMajorJ (hugs!), NatalieLynn, celinewilliam, Prophetical, TessLouise, scrosby66, MoonPrincess623, CullenFan1, katandjasper, laceyndom, beignet, rengisol, LoveStoryFan, victoria79, Jacumba, boop1239, TrinityAsh, dizziestdaydream, Forkspixie, Firewings312, sxkitn, louisianagirl900, ShamelesslyObsessed, jennyap, Nissa-Cullen, Snowball64, boop1239tbr, bklover08, eyelean79, TrueSkye, missdaisy2, kartastrophe, xoxocullenloverxoxo, sparlish, jupiter2005, aliricci, thepinktabby, Reading is a Passion 2, cindysark, Pandora's Hand, teamcullen-candi, Dee, Kiss of Sun-n-Lilac, gidget's evil twin, snoodles, Kartingmom, moodyval, Shanny7822, BonsaiKitty, TheShareBear, InsideItAll, MarySoul, NocturnalAstroMonkey, Naezee, DK30, Raewright, sammyclaire1990, Fakin'It, jazzpagan, MatsuuraAkane, twificfan, dangerkitty, ChampagneandStrawberries, TheOneWithTheObsessions, Twisted-Twilighter, dolphin33, laela 94, MinervaCullen, leajones, ystrad, Lead69, Evanne, KimberlyAnnT, JaspersMum, , ForksReverie, dateddymonsterwillgetyou, moondancer1179, Fellowship of the Peen and JaspersDestiny (double hugs!), and of course my partner in crime changedbyEdward! If I missed anyone - tell me in a review so I can fix it!

Anabely – you have messages disabled so I couldn't reply, but yes, there was a New Moon extra on Stephenie Meyer's website where Edward tried to send her money in the form of a scholarship from the Pacific Northwest Trust. She burned the check in the kitchen sink. That line was my little homage to that.

Phee – your email addy didn't show up on your anonymous review for ALIR. I hope you're reading this. Please PM me if you can.

* * *

><p>Jasper put the finishing touches on his latest painting, his hardest one yet. It was a painting of Bella sitting on the ground in the forest surrounded by her wolves, her slender fingers reaching out to pet one of the puppies, a soft smile on her face. In the distance, not noticeable unless you knew to look for it, was Bigfoot peeking out from behind a tree. He was pleased with how it turned out and even Traveller seemed to be impressed, which was serious praise. He'd give it a couple of days for the paint to dry and cure properly and then he would make a trip into town to send it off to her, along with a Polaroid picture of check-shaped ash resting on a rock.<p>

It had felt so good to burn that damn thing. He wasn't sure if it was because it meant he wasn't indebted to Alice and the Cullens, or because Bella wanted to become a vampire. Either or both, he was relieved beyond belief. Of course, rationally he knew that only meant that she wanted to live forever, not that she wanted to live forever with him, but one step at a time. After all, she had asked for a bed.

The first thing he did when he received the money from the 4-H for Traveller's stud service was order the supplies to add a bedroom onto the cabin. He'd been smarter about it this time, however, ordering them from a large home improvement warehouse a couple of towns over. All he had to do was borrow Sam's truck for a couple of days – not a big deal since he was still under the weather – and trek the materials up the mountain in the middle of the night so no one knew and felt compelled to 'help' again. His grass still hadn't fully recovered and just this morning he'd found another cigarette butt half buried in the dirt. Not only that, but he'd spent two days after Bella had left tearing down and reassembling parts of the stable that he felt were shoddily built.

After some discreet questioning, Samuel referred him to a woodworker he knew who was revered for his fine craftsmanship. He ordered a four poster, full size bed of a simple design, but one that the man promised could survive an earthquake. Just the thought of testing that claim with Bella made Jasper's jeans uncomfortable. He hissed as he adjusted himself. It really was ridiculous how much he needed her, in every way.

Two weeks down, ten more to go. He was never going to make it.

* * *

><p>"Hey Ang!" Bella looked forward to their Thursday night video chats, especially this week. She really needed the distraction. She was missing Jasper so much it hurt. She'd even dabbed a drop of his saliva sample on her lower lip, spreading it like lip balm just to feel the now-familiar tingle. Then she got pissed at herself for wasting a limited resource necessary for her research. She had serious issues.<p>

"Hi Bella! How'd your trip go? Find any yetis?"

Bella sighed. "Bigfoots. I was looking for Bigfoots, not yetis. And no, I didn't. No angels, either. I did find the wolves, though, and managed to inspect and tag the whole pack."

"That's awesome! Hey listen, I was wondering if you might be interested in getting a place with me this summer when you come back home? I couldn't possibly be worse roommates than Mike and Jess. I'll even find out from Mike how to make your coffee the way…"

Bella bit her lip. "Yeah, Ang, about that. I'm not going to be coming home this summer after all." Angela's face fell and Bella felt awful for going back on her promise.

"Why not?"

"Well, it turns out the wolves weren't the only thing I found on the mountain."

Angela's interest was obviously peaked. "Oh yeah? What, was there some super-hot Paul Bunyon type up there?"

"Well, he blows Paul Bunyon out of the water, but yeah, you could say that. Do you remember Jasper Hale?"

"Get outta town!" Angela's face was suddenly a lot larger as she leaned towards the camera, her expression shock and amusement mixed with a little envy. At least it seemed that way from the extreme closeup. "You're not kidding – he's _much_ better than Paul Bunyon! I always did think he was the best looking Cullen. Manly without the 'roids."

"'Roids?"

"Emmett. We all had bets he was pumping more than iron, if you know what I mean. Except it wasn't like he was playing sports, so I don't know why he'd bother, but still. That could not have been a normal amount of muscle mass."

Bella laughed. "You're right about that!"

"He should've shared some of them with Edward, though. Just sayin'. Scrawny little weasel." Angela may have been a little biased since Edward broke her best friend's heart, but Bella loved her for it.

"Yeah, I don't think it would have helped," Bella grinned good-humoredly. "Anyway, I ran into Jasper and we ended up spending the week together. He helped me find the wolves, actually, and we really hit it off. He's amazing. He's got this beautiful cabin in the woods and invited me back when I finish up here, and I really want to go. Plus, Snape offered me a sizeable endowment to study the wolves for a year. I can't turn that down."

"Which, the research endowment or the hunk of man meat endowment? I mean, I'm assuming he's _well endowed_…" The innuendo hung thick in the air.

"Are you sure you're cut out for the seminary, Ang? 'Cuz between you and me, you're a perv." Angela wasn't falling for her attempts at diversion.

"I'll take that as a yes. Details, woman. Now. You know I live vicariously through you." Angela rested her elbows on her desk and set her chin on her palms, all settled in for a good story.

"Alright, yes, he's exceptionally well endowed and knows what to do with it. I was definitely walking funny by the time I left, and it wasn't from the horseback riding."

"Bella you sly dog! Well, I'm going to be lonely in this one horse town without you, but I understand. We'll still have skype!" Dang it. Did she have to mention horses? Now she wasn't just missing Jasper. She was missing Traveller and Belle too.

"Absolutely, Ang. No matter what." They gossiped for a little while longer until they both started yawning and had to call it a night.

Bella was just about to shut down her laptop after they ended their call when a new email popped up. It was from Snape.

_Bella, National Geographic is interested in doing a documentary on you and your wolves. Call me ASAP – Professor Gates._


	18. Chapter 18

**_A/N: _**I'm glad you all enjoyed the reposting of the smut-fest that was Edward's Release. And now back to your regularly scheduled program...

* * *

><p><em>Focus on the positive… Focus on the positive... Focus on the positive...<em>

Jasper absolutely hated flying. It was always the same. The fear coming off the surrounding passengers burned his nostrils and plucked at his nerves. Even the ones who were reading their SkyMall magazine while ignoring the attendant telling everyone how to buckle a seat belt were nervous.

If they were so afraid – why were they flying?

He decided a slight abuse of power in this instance was justified. He spotted one little girl looking out the window who was genuinely calm and happy and he focused on amplifying her emotions, spreading them throughout the cabin, keeping them just a notch below the point where they all would have joined hands and sung kumbaya. He kept them that way throughout takeoff, only releasing them when the pilot turned off the seatbelt signs.

Finally able to breathe, Jasper laid his head back against the seat and closed his eyes, feigning sleep. Bella had asked him to come visit, but didn't say why, just that she needed to see him. He'd been so excited that he'd said yes without thought or hesitation, grabbed her painting and a duffel bag with a few essentials, dropped Traveller off at Samuel's and headed straight for the airport.

It was only now that he was situated and in the air that it occurred to him that perhaps he should have double-checked everything was alright first. Instead, he was stuck wondering what the heck was going on that she suddenly needed to see him right away. Each theory was more ridiculous than the last. Was she breaking up with him? Did she discover the Lock Ness Monster? Maybe she had found he really had 'little swimmers' after all and inseminated herself in the name of science. He wasn't sure how he felt about that particular theory. He was certain, however, that he was going to drive himself insane if he didn't get there soon.

Jasper cranked up the mojo again as the plane began its descent. Every passenger on board clapped when they landed, then seemed a bit tired and groggy when Jasper finally released them from his hold. The little girl turned to look at him as she disembarked and he winked at her, making her giggle. She'd never know it, but she'd probably saved 231 lives that day, just by being happy.

Jasper's fears were laid to rest the moment he knocked on Bella's apartment door. He could hear her running down the hall towards him and smiled. The door flew open seconds later and Bella jumped into his waiting arms, peppering his face with butterfly kisses. "Jasper!" _kiss_ "God, I've missed you…" _kiss_ "so much!" _kiss_

"I've missed you too, Sunshine." Jasper carried her inside and sat down on the couch, leaving the door open and his things on the porch as they got reacquainted for a few minutes.

When Bella finally pulled back to breathe, she was touching her kiss-swollen lips reverently. "That reminds me, I might need to get some new samples from you before you leave," she whispered breathlessly.

"Why?"

"Well, I may-have-used-your-venom-as-lube-for-my-vibrator," she muttered under her breath as she turned her head away, embarrassed.

Jasper couldn't help but laugh. "That very well may be the downright craziest thing you have ever done, Bella Swan." Bella's embarrassment cranked up a few notches bordering on shame and she started to get off his lap. That wouldn't do, so he grabbed her by the hips and pulled her back down on top of him to whisper in her ear. "So why does the thought of it turn me on so much?" He wasn't lying, the moment she said it the little major was standing at attention, struggling to get to her through his jeans.

Bella ground herself against him and he was done for. He flipped her around, leaned her over the couch, ripped her jeans to shreds and buried himself as deep inside her as he safely could, pounding away every ounce of sorrow and loneliness he had felt over the past month. Bella arched her back, taking him in even deeper, her fingers gripping the fabric of the couch so tightly he was sure it would rip, and the moment her walls clenched around him signaling her release, he came so hard it was almost uncomfortable.

Sated and spent, they curled up on the couch under a blanket and Bella quickly drifted off to sleep watching Destination Truth. The guy hosting the show was entertaining as he traipsed the world looking for El Chubacabra and other such creatures, but he didn't like how much Bella was in awe of the guy. Truthfully, he seemed like a jackass.

Jasper picked her up, found her room and laid her down before going back to the porch to retrieve his bag and her painting. He locked the front door and returned to her room, where he promptly stripped and rejoined her. It felt so right, he wondered how he'd ever lived without it.

* * *

><p>Bella awoke the next morning cuddled up to Jasper like a lizard on a hot rock, relieving last night in her mind. It wasn't exactly the reunion she'd been expecting, but it was better than she'd hoped for. She just hoped it lasted after she told him about the Nat Geo opportunity.<p>

"Why so nervous, Sunshine?"

"Coffee first." She wondered if she would carry this caffeine addiction with her when she was changed. She may become the only vampire alive who still drinks coffee.

Bella made herself a cup of coffee but grimaced when she took a sip. She could never get it right. Jasper snickered at her before gently removing the mug from her hand, dumping it down the sink, and working his magic on a second cup.

"Mmm… delicious."

"You're welcome. It's nice to know I'm good for something."

"Oh, you're good for a couple of somethings… coffee, mind-blowing sex…"

"Bodily fluid samples…" Jasper teased.

"_Tingly_ bodily fluid samples," Bella interjected, playing along. "Very stimulating." Bella wiggled a little for illustration, and Jasper laughed once more. She loved how often he smiled and laughed around her.

"Not that you ever need a reason, I'm at your beck-and-call anytime you need a little _something_, tingly or otherwise, but what's up, Bella? It sounded pretty important over the phone."

"National Geographic wants to do a documentary on me and the winter wolves. They see me as the next Jane Goodall or Dian Fossey or Jack Hanna or something." Bella held her breath waiting for Jasper's reaction, but so far there was none visible.

"So what does that mean, exactly?"

"Well, first the Pros. It would mean a sizeable paycheck, plus they would build a small research facility near the cabin, if you wouldn't be opposed, that would be ours after they're gone. It would also mean revenue and exposure for the university, and in return they would extend my one year grant to five years with an increased stipend. For the wolves, it would mean a fast track on getting them on the endangered species list, which considering that there is only one pack known in existence, is rather important."

"And the cons?"

"Well, first and foremost it would mean delaying my transformation for six months to a year, which I'm not thrilled with. It would also mean having a crew of four to six people following me around the mountain, which complicates things on a couple of fronts. For one thing, it will intrude upon your solitude and make hunting more difficult for you. You weren't thrilled with the people from town at your house for a a day. Even though this is fewer people and they won't be quite so in your face, I'm sure it won't be fun for you. For another, it would keep me from searching for Bigfoot until they're gone. Most importantly, it would mean me having to avoid you while I'm there so that you don't end up on camera."

"Anything else?"

"Nope, that about sums it up. What are your thoughts?"

"You didn't mention anywhere in that analysis what you wanted to do."

"That's because I change my mind about it three times a day on average."

"I would like a little time to think and for us to talk it over, but my first thoughts are this. The money for the research facility is too good to pass up, and of course I want you to build it near the cabin. My land is your land. As long as we're together, I'm alright with waiting to change you if you are. The only thing about this scenario that is unacceptable to me is this idea of yours about staying away from me while you're filming. Do you think it would be possible for us to be together, but just have it in your contract that I'm not to be filmed?"

Bella took another sip of her coffee as she thought it through. "Well, probably. But it would still mean you having to act human whenever they're around, and being extremely careful about your hunting until they leave."

"That seems doable to me."

"Really?" Bella jumped up in excitement. She'd tried to hide how much she wanted this, knowing she probably failed miserably, and the moment the pieces all fell into place for her, she couldn't contain her enthusiasm a moment longer.

It was a damn good thing vampires never get tired.


	19. Chapter 19

_**A/N: **_Sorry for the slight delay. I look a tumble down the stairs at my aunt's house and ended up on crutches. A drugged up Lillie does not a good writer make lol. This is about as close to drama as you're getting in this story, and it may or may not involve hot make-up sex. It is not safe to read at work or in the presence of small children, unless like me you have mastered the fine art of the laptop slam. ;)

Oh, and I guess I should add to the 'I don't own Twilight' disclaimer that I don't own National Geographic or Destination Truth. Or Josh Gates. As much as I'd like to.

* * *

><p>It was supposed to be easy. No big deal. They navigated through the last couple months of her schoolwork with next to no problems. Bella happily signed the contract for the Nat Geo documentary, and Jasper had re-cleared the road going up to his house to allow the construction workers to come in and start building what would be the crew's home base for the next six months before it would be turned over to Bella for her research. Jasper attended her graduation with pride and they'd celebrated in their new bed under the painting he had made her, which she loved.<p>

But somehow the crew of six people had doubled to 12, and that didn't include all the construction workers. Then he found out the clock on the six months filming wouldn't start ticking until the building was complete, which was being constantly delayed due to an unseasonable amount of rain.

Jasper was fairly certain that all the noise and stench from the construction was going to scare off not only the wolves, but every animal in a 20 mile radius. He was forced to go further and further to hunt. And clearly they were sub-contractors and not actual Nat Geo employees, because they were far from environmentally friendly. Every night after they left Jasper had to spend hours cleaning up after them.

Now they were bringing in giant spotlights so they can work shifts and get it completed faster. He should be grateful, because that meant the construction workers would be gone sooner and filming would finally begin. He should be grateful, but really he just wanted to kill somebody.

To make matters worse, Destination Truth wanted to do an investigation of Bigfoot and Josh Gates had asked to interview Bella and invite her along on the investigation. The way Bella went all fangirl when she received the call made Jasper's teeth vibrate.

He needed to get away. He hopped on Traveller and headed for Samuel's to do some work and planned to head to the 4-H after that to check on Belle. He had been so excited Bella was moving in with him, and now he wondered if she would even notice he was gone.

* * *

><p><em>Where in the hell is he?<em>

Bella had watched him trot off on Traveller. More like run like the wind. You'd have thought the devil was on his tail. After a quick call to Samuel and the 4-H to make sure there weren't any emergencies to be concerned about, Bella decided to let him be.

He'd been growing increasingly anxious over the past couple of weeks and there wasn't much she could do about it. She'd asked the construction crew to be more respectful and quit treating the surrounding area like their personal dumping ground, but there was nothing to be done about the stench from the porta-potties or the sweaty workers or the noise or any of the other multitude of things that were pissing Jasper off. She would say this was a bad idea, but she was with Jasper, and that was never a bad thing.

But here it was well after nightfall and Jasper still hadn't returned. She decided to give in and do the needy girlfriend thing, which she hated. She had vowed to never be _that_ girl again. With a heavy sigh, she picked up the phone and called Samuel.

"He's still out in the field," Samuel said in lieu of a greeting. "I think he's planning on singlehandedly harvesting my entire crop. Want me to drive up there and get you so you can take him off my hands? You know, you need another horse, or maybe a four wheeler or somethin'. Why don't you buy Belle? She seemed to suit you."

"They won't sell her until the foal is born. Still have several months to go before that happens. Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Nah, I'll drop you off and then I'm headed into town to grab a bite to eat. Might stay over at Jed's place. He's got some runnin' to do tomorrow he needs help with. You two can stay here if you like."

"Okay. Thanks Sam." The idea of a hot shower sounded amazing about now.

"Anything for you, missy."

Sam dropped Bella off at the front door and headed into town, overnighter bag on the seat beside him.

Bella busied herself in tidying up Sam's place for him a bit, it was the least she could do. Then she hopped in the shower and stayed in there until the hot water ran out. She threw on some yoga pants and a loose fitting top and made herself a quick bite to eat. She thought Jasper would have realized she was there by then and come inside, but he hadn't. Bella cursed at herself as she took the needy girlfriend thing a step further and ventured into the cornfields to find him.

She'd only taken a few steps in when Jasper appeared in front of her, his eyes black as coal and bits of cornstalks sticking out of his hair. "Bella? What are you doin' here?"

She tried not to look at him like he was stupid, really she did, but what other reason would she possibly have for traipsing through Samuel's cornfield in the middle of the night? Luckily, she didn't have to voice that thought – he figured it out on his own.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I just couldn't take any more." Jasper hung his head like he was ashamed, and it broke Bella's heart that he was sacrificing so much for her.

"What can I do to help?"

Jasper wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close. "You smell so good," he whispered. She tried not to interpret that as 'you don't stink anymore' but vowed one more comment like that and he was going to be building a Jacuzzi after all.

She forgot all that the moment he started nuzzling her neck, peppering tiny kisses as he went. He was moaning unintelligibly, but Bella was able to make out a quiet, "Need you."

"You have me, I'm yours." Suddenly she was flying as Jasper took off running. He didn't stop until he reached the spot where they'd camped over the summer. He sat her down on a log and in a flash, had gathered up a nice pile of firewood. Bella watched amazed as Jasper picked up a rock, striked it across the palm of his hand and created a spark, lighting the fire.

"Flint," he said simply before he ripped her clothes off and laid her down next to the fire. Bella could feel him projecting his desperation and need as his hands fluttered all over her, never staying long enough in one place to satisfy her. She let him lead, allowed him to give and take what he needed as he made love to her under the stars. It had been too long, she realized, and they both needed this connection. She arched her back and whimpered as he entered her, hard and fast.

"Love you… need you," he whispered over and over like a mantra, his words a gentle counterpoint to the force with which he was claiming her. She could feel the rocks digging into her back as she scooted backwards with each thrust. It was uncomfortable, but not enough to deter the mounting pleasure. Jasper reached down and pinched her clit, sending her over the edge with him as he buried himself deeper in her than he had ever been. There would definitely be bruising, but it was worth it.

She cried out, startled, when Jasper abruptly pulled out of her and flipped her over underneath him. He brushed the dirt and rocks off her back and then began… licking her? Yes, he was definitely licking her, and he was purring. The rocks had scratched up her back, and some of them must have drawn blood. She relaxed and just enjoyed the sensation of Jasper cleaning her wounds with his tongue. In truth, it was quite arousing, especially as his tongue moved to lick the globes of her ass and the back of her thighs.

When it seemed he had gotten every free drop of blood he could find, he nudged her legs apart and laid himself over her, entering her from behind. He was slower now, calmer, more in control. He reached around her and palmed her breasts, probably to protect them from the rocks, although truth be told it would be worth a bit of scraping if it meant him licking a few wounds in that general area. They came together once more, and then Jasper gathered her in his lap and wrapped his arms around her as they warmed themselves up by the fire.

Bella turned and saw her Jasper had returned. She kissed him on the cheek. "I love you."

"Love you too, Sunshine."

"We'll get through this, together."

Jasper nodded. "Together."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **_Was it worth the wait?


	20. Chapter 20

"See, this is exactly why I never want to take the behind the scenes tour at Disney World!" Bella shouts as she storms into the research lab, a chuckling Josh Gates trailing behind her. Jasper tried not to snarl at him. It was not an easy task. That man needed to quit eyeing Bella's ass or his fifteen minutes of fame were going to come to an abrupt end.

"What's wrong, Sunshine?" Jasper asked.

"Listen to the Wizard!" She shouted like that was supposed to explain everything.

"Umm… huh?"

Bella's voice took on a ghost-like quality. "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain…" Clearly Jasper's confused look was not the response Bella was hoping for. She scowled at him and threw up her hands. "Oh, never mind!"

Josh filled in the blanks. "Bella is not happy with some of the… behind the scenes aspects of the show."

"Aak!" Bella retorted. "Okay, first of all, I knew it appeared you only spent one night doing investigations on the show, but I never suspected that you ACTUALLY only spent one night! You search for creatures people like me spend _years_ hunting for, and you expect to find them in eight hours or less?"

Josh looked a little scared and took a step back. Jasper didn't blame him – she was just gearing up. "And how do you expect to find anything with all the noise and the yelling and the high powered flashlights? Even Elmer Fudd knew to be quiet when he was hunting." Bella gave Jasper a quick glance and he chuckled, giving her a wink. "Then to boot, you and I both know that there was no way the fecal samples you collected are from a Bigfoot. Why act so excited about finding deer shit in the woods?" Bella started to do a bad impression of him. "Guys! Guys! Over here! Quick!"

"Maybe it's from a deer, maybe it's not, you don't know until you test it." Jasper could tell even Josh wasn't buying the bullshit he was trying to sell.

Bella rolled her eyes, her crush on the television host clearly a thing of the past. "What-the fuck-ever."

Jasper had never been so proud of his girl.

* * *

><p>One show down, one to go.<p>

Bella couldn't wait for it to be done and over with. Filming the documentary, which still did not have a title, was different than Destination Truth in many respects but the same in others. The Nat Geo cameramen were more interested in natural lighting, camera angles and 'capturing the quiet serenity' as they put it than they were with drama and theatrics, but still, there was a lot more to it than just a cameraman following her around. There was a director, audio and video people, research assistants and fact checkers, a stylist and Snape.

Bella was just happy they understood the necessity of being quiet.

Luckily, it had only taken them a couple of hours to track down the wolves with the radio collars, so they were able to start filming right away. The first day was the hardest, though, because Bella quickly discovered that one of the cubs had not survived. The crew silently captured Bella's tears while Snape comforted her. She could tell they felt bad, filming her with her emotions so exposed, but that didn't stop them from doing their job.

The remaining cubs were now adolescents, and the director was disappointed there would be no scenes of adorable animal babies cuddling their mothers or 'money shots' of Bella holding a cub. He would have to make due with the painting Jasper had done. They had purchased the rights to it for the DVD cover, with the understanding that Jasper would provide them with an exact duplicate since he was unwilling to part with the original. Bella didn't forsee that to be a problem.

She and Snape worked hand in hand over the next several weeks, both on the documentary and on setting some goals for the research she would be doing after everyone left. Snape and Jasper got along well, which was a plus except for how often Snape tried to get Jasper on his side about Bella abandoning cryptozoology. Jasper was pretty firm in his opinion that if Bella wanted to search for the Boogie Man in her free time, she should be allowed to do it without it impacting her 'real' career.

Of course, all the discussions about the future may be moot. The more Bella thought about it, the more she really didn't want to wait five more years to have Jasper change her, grant or no grant, and from what she'd heard about the so-called newborn phase, she wouldn't exactly be up to field work for a year or so. Jasper could probably fake it for her for a while, but eventually Snape would want a face-to-face update and she really didn't want to kill him. He was kinda growing on her. She really couldn't wait for this documentary to be over so she could talk to Jasper about it.

Well, fuck his brains out and _then_ talk to him about it.

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: _**So I know I'm in the minority, but I have no interest in watching vampire teeth c-sections and demon baby births. Let me know if the wedding was pretty, k?


	21. Chapter 21

_**A/N: **_Hope all my U.S. folks had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I, for one, am thankful for all of you, and for every instance someone feels my story is worthy of taking the time to read or write me a review. Speaking of reviews, it's come up in a couple of reviews, so I wanted to remind everyone of my author's note from Chapter 1 - these are gonna be short chapters. It's not a drabble fic per say, but I am definitely playing around with the less is more theory with this story. Let me know if you think it works.

If you want a fantastic true drabble fic, check out either Amethyst Jackson's The Learning Curve - I very rarely read high school fics but this one's too sweet to pass up, or ysar's The Lies We Tell Ourselves - heartbreaking.

* * *

><p>Jasper was throwing every calming power he could at Traveller, and it wasn't making a damn bit of difference. The horse was screaming and frantic, alternating between rearing on its hind legs or trying to kick the stable doors open. Jasper wanted to open the door, put his hands on him and soothe him directly, but he was afraid Bella or Snape would be hurt if the horse bolted. The Nat Geo team had left a few days prior, much to Jasper's delight, but Snape's flight wasn't until after the weekend and he was watching the scene with interest.<p>

It all made sense when Samuel's truck came tearing up the hillside. "Why the hell aren't you answering your phone?"

Jasper looked at Bella, confused. The research facility was hooked up to both solar panels and a generator backup, so electricity was no longer an issue. It should be charged.

Bella pulled the cell out of her pocket and swiped her finger across the screen. A second later she held down the power button, trying to reboot it. She shrugged. "Dead."

"Well, come on!" Samuel waved his hand to beckon them to the car. "Belle's in labor!"

Well, that explained it. Jasper smiled as Bella's face lit up like a proud mama. He ran over and kissed her. "You ride with Samuel, I'll be right behind you with Traveller." Bella nodded and hopped in the truck. Samuel waved as he turned the truck around and headed back down the mountain.

Jasper paused just outside the stable. "Alright Traveller, I get it. You're gonna be a daddy soon and you want to be there. But you need to settle yourself before I can open the door. Then you can take us there as fast as your legs can carry us, alright?" Jasper realized Snape was looking at him like he was crazy, but he didn't care. Besides, it worked. Traveller settled right down and started whimpering in.

Jasper started inside to get the saddle, but the wave of emotions Traveller shot his way left no question the horse wasn't waiting around that long. Not that Jasper couldn't have raced him and won, but he had to keep up appearances. Appearances which at the moment apparently involved riding Traveller bareback into town.

Traveller took off so fast that Jasper almost second-guessed if he would have won that race after all.

They arrived literally moments before the tiny foal was born. It latched onto Belle immediately while Traveller nuzzled them both. Love swirled around them, intoxicating Jasper. He put his arms around Bella, drawing her back to his chest as they watched the scene. In a strange way, he felt as though this tiny horse, which the vet proclaimed a filly, had made their unconventional family complete. He had everything he'd ever wanted, or at least, he would have, as soon as Bella was turned.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear as he held her tight. "I can't wait until the day I can make you mine forever."

"Forever, huh? You sure about that? I thought you didn't believe in the whole 'mate nonsense' as you called it."

Jasper kissed the nape of her neck, letting his tongue slip out to taste her skin. "You've changed my mind."

Bella looked at him thoughtfully for what seemed like forever. "No time like the present."

Now, Jasper knew he should have paused then, talked it over with her, weighed the pros and cons and ensured she had a full understanding of the potential ramifications of her decision. He also knew he should have reminded her that Snape wasn't leaving for four more days.

He should have done that, but he didn't.

Instead he hurriedly asked Samuel to have the 4-H kids keep an eye on Traveller, smiling at the appreciation Traveller sent his way. No way that horse was going to complain about extra time with his new daughter and the mare he loved.

Jasper took Bella by the hand and led her towards the woods and as soon as they were out of eyesight, picked her up and ran up the mountain to their favorite camping spot.

Hot, frantic kissing ensued, their gasps and moans surely scaring off the wildlife better than anything the camera crews had done. Jasper forced himself to slow down, otherwise he would end up burying himself in her, and he didn't think biting her while fucking her against the tree was the best idea. A little pain mixed with pleasure was one thing, but he never wanted her to associate her orgasms with three days of burning hell.

Even if he wanted to leave a permanent bitemark on her beautiful breasts, marking her. Claiming her. Damn, now he was going to have to do this with a near-painful erection.

He slowed their kisses then stopped, holding Bella at arms' length so he could take in her human beauty one last time. She seemed to be studying him just as intensely.

"Will I forget?" She asked after a while. Of all the things for her to be afraid of at this moment it seemed completely illogical, and completely Bella, to be worrying about this.

Jasper shook his head and smiled at her reassuringly. "I won't let you."

Bella nodded, satisfied with that answer.

"You'll be okay, won't you? I know it'll be hard to watch… and feel…" He couldn't lie, he was going to be reliving the change right along with her, but there was no place he'd rather be.

"It'll be worth every second." Bella paused for a moment, considering the truth behind his words before she let resolve and determination rise to the surface.

"Alright then. Love you, see you soon and all that," she said flippantly, tilting her head to expose her neck to him. "Have at it, but don't forget what they say?"

"What's that?"

Bella smirked. "Drink responsibly."


	22. Chapter 22

_**A/N: ** _Hello my loves! Here's the next installment, with something new - a look into the mind of Snape! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season, whatever you celebrate! I got my Christmas present early - I sold my first romantic suspense novel, Manhunt! Release date is tentatively set for April - I'm so excited! Also, follow me on Facebook - Lillie Spencer, id=100000268861348. I'm going to be looking for some crit readers for my current work in progress, a paranormal romance called The Circle. I'll post there when I'm ready to get some feedback. Thanks for reading and reviewing - and helping cure my writer's block!

* * *

><p>Jasper was consumed.<p>

Fire.

Pain.

Agony.

Was it this bad when he was turned? No way in hell.

For just a split second, he thought about pulling his powers back. He needed a break from the torture, he needed to breathe. He needed the fire to die, just for a moment. But this was Bella, and there was no way he could let her go through that alone. If he could help in any way lessen her pain, he would. So he wrapped himself tighter around her shaking body.

And burned for her.

* * *

><p>Professor Gates stood in the main room of the research building, staring at a picture of Alan Rickman, in full Hogwarts regalia, pinned to the cork board above the workbench. He laughed to himself.<p>

Bella had no idea he knew her nickname for him. He wasn't sure where it came from. Sure, their hair was kind of similar, but Gates was certain his was a lot cleaner. He ran his fingers through his black tresses, cringing a little at the oil and grit he found and trying to remember the last time he'd properly shampooed it.

Maybe it was time for a haircut.

He scowled at himself. Even when she wasn't around, that girl managed to get under his skin. Truth be told, he adored her. She was like the daughter he'd never had. He only gave her a hard time because he knew she had the ability to achieve greatness, if only she would focus and quit splitting her time between real science and this cryptozoology bullshit. He hoped that the Nat Geo project and the resulting fellowship would keep her on the right track from here on out. At least she didn't seem to be following in his idiot son's footsteps anymore.

Bella and Jasper had bolted like bats out of hell, leaving him with absolutely nothing to do. He'd already tied up all the loose ends he could with the wolf research and packed everything except the essentials to get him through the next couple of days.

When they didn't return that night, he assumed they decided to stay in town. For lack of anything better to do, he began wandering around the research facility, looking for something to occupy his time. Perhaps he'd do a couple more cultures on the wolf blood Bella had collected.

He pulled out the tray of test tubes, noticing for the first time a second tray behind them. There were only two test tubes in it, both of them almost empty and neither of them blood. There was also an unlabeled slide, which Snape scowled at – Bella knew better than to be so sloppy – but it was obviously a blond hair. Lifting the first tube, he was surprised to read the label "Jasper Saliva." The second one read "Jasper Ejaculate."

What the fuck?

Curiosity and boredom led him to grab a couple of blank slides and fire up the microscope. When the sun set, he realized he'd spent the past twelve hours or more tearing down everything he'd ever believed to be true.

Stunned, he headed to the cabin, anxious to talk to Bella and Jasper. He had a million and one questions. His brow furrowed with concern when he found the cabin empty. They still hadn't returned.

Now he was worried.

He called Bella's cell, but it went straight to voicemail. He headed back to the lab to get his coat, planning on trekking down the hill to Samuel's hoping he had some news.

A gut-wrenching scream cut through the night air, obviously far away but no less terrifying for it. Worse, it sounded a lot like Jasper.

Grabbing his backpack, flashlight and a shotgun, he headed up the mountain instead. He knew it was stupid and reckless. After all, he'd just spent the past day doing every test possible on Jasper's bodily fluids and every one rendered the same conclusion.

Jasper was not human.

What he was, he had no idea. He just hoped he could count on the friendship he thought they'd fostered to keep him safe. He could barely wrap his brain around it. To Gates, it was the equivalent of discovering a spaceship in his backyard, it was that absurd and life-changing.

There were human-like qualities to the samples, equivalent amount of water to human samples, that type of thing, but the reactivity was completely different. God, he really would have loved a blood sample so he could compare white blood cell counts and the like.

There had only been the one scream, and the woods were eerily quiet, so Gates had no idea where he was going. For lack of a solid direction, he headed towards the wolf den. It seemed like the only logical place that Jasper and Bella would go. Of course, his idea of logical was officially shot to hell.

Or at least, he thought he was heading to the den. In his haste, he hadn't thought to grab the GPS, so he was forced to do it old school, marking trees with his pocket knife so he knew if he got himself turned around.

He wandered for two days with no sign of Jasper and Bella or the wolf pack. He was beyond creeped out by the lack of wildlife and was out of rations. He heard a stream nearby and sighed, soothed by both the sound and the promise of a cool drink. He decided to refill his canteen and take a rest there before heading back down the mountain, praying that when he got back to the lab he would find all was well.

"Bella, NO!"

Gates turned in the direction of Jasper's voice, relieved to have found his friends at last. Instead he found himself face to face with a pair of red, deadly eyes. He didn't have time to process what was happening when his head was unceremoniously jerked to the side and teeth sliced through his skin. Dazed, he was vaguely fascinated by the gurgling and growling, trying to piece it together with the information he'd already learned when everything went black.


	23. Chapter 23

_**A/N: ** _Hope everyone's holidays were wonderful! Returning to real life sucks, but at least it means the updates have returned! I love how everyone was worried about Snape. I'm glad you all think he's cool. He's kinda grown on me too. Lemon alert, with a side order of blood.

* * *

><p>Jasper was going out of his damn mind.<p>

Locked in one building, a feral newborn who craved blood and rough sex and nothing else. It had been over a week and he'd yet to see a glimmer of Bella's mind anywhere inside the gorgeous vampiric eyes that stared at him with hunger every time he entered the room. He was afraid to let her out of the cabin; he'd been too concerned she'd do something she'd regret when her mind returned, like finish what she had started with Snape or wipe out the wolf pack. To make matters worse, Traveller, Belle, and the new foal the 4-H had named Destiny were mysteriously in his stable when they returned and Bella had honed in on the scent as soon as they got within 100 yards of them. It took everything he had to restrain her.

Thankfully she wasn't cognizant enough to realize that she was strong enough to just break down the door if she wanted out. He'd been forced to hunt for her, returning with a thermos of blood every couple of hours. The last time he'd delivered her meal she almost raped him, which might have been fun if she knew his goddamned name. At the moment, she was out of her mind and as much as he needed the release she was offering, it felt too much like taking advantage, even if he was the one being ravaged.

In the other building was an extremely nosy and lucky-to-be-alive professor. Jasper had no idea what he was going to do with him. Snape had lost a lot of blood, not enough to kill him or force Jasper to turn him, but enough to keep him down for a while. Snape told the school he'd had a run-in with a bear trap while hiking and would be out for a couple of weeks, which left Jasper in the unenviable position of playing nursemaid to him as well. As if he didn't have enough on his hands. And just like Bella, every time Jasper tried to just quickly drop off food and run away, he got attacked, only this time he was accosted with never-ending questions about vampires. Why couldn't his power be used to just wipe the man's memory? Seriously, he'd give his left nut to be able to just compel the man to forget what happened and all he'd learned, just to get him to shut the hell up.

Instead, he hacked into Bella's laptop and gave Snape access to the full array of her vampire research, including the tests she ran on Jasper's samples. It kept him enraptured enough that Jasper had actually been able to sneak breakfast in without Snape so much as making eye contact. Bella would probably be pissed at him when she found out, but he'd cross that bridge when he came to it.

Jasper sat down on the dock by the lake and sighed, long and deep. The beautiful vista did nothing to soothe him and he found himself absently rolling a rock in his hands, staring at it as his thoughts ran away with him. He'd dealt with enough newborns in his day. It wasn't like he didn't know what he was getting into when he turned her. Sure, he'd held out hope that she'd turn out to be some super-vamp that skipped the whole mindless psychotic stage but deep down he'd known it was wishful thinking. Still, it hurt that she didn't remember him. He missed her.

He snorted to himself. He came to this remote location to get away from everyone and everything. He enjoyed the solitude, the quiet, the serenity of it. He didn't want to miss anyone ever again, but then Bella Swan of all people had come in like a tornado with her sass and her spunk and she somehow shifted his entire reality, changing him entirely yet accepting him for who he was. It was effortless, the way they complemented each other, completed each other.

Ugh, he was starting to sound like some sappy Tom Cruise movie.

Throwing the rock in the water in frustration, Jasper noticed a fat beaver scurrying along the far side of the lake. It might make a good start towards transitioning Bella from thermoses of blood to live prey, wean her off the bottle so to speak. He hoped it would satisfy her a little more and perhaps help bring her back to herself. Jasper snatched it up and headed back to the cabin.

She obviously heard the heartbeat and the growling, because she started snarling before he opened the door. He kicked the door open and came face to face with his primal goddess, all red eyes and bared teeth and wide aggressive stance. She pounced without hesitation and Jasper ended up on his back, her straddling him as she messily devoured the beaver, ripping its throat out and draining it dry. When she was done, she crumpled its body like a used juice box before tossing it aside, a bloody smirk on her face.

She was magnificent.

Her hunger for blood sated, Bella's eyes and hands roamed Jasper's chest, grinding herself above him. He was instantly hard.

"Bella..." he groaned, putting his hands on her hips to stop her. She was having none of that. The next thing he knew his shirt was ripped off and his hands were pinned above his head.

Damn, she was strong.

He knew he should stop her, but then he remembered how she had let him claim her in the woods. She gave him what he needed, even when he wasn't himself. Especially when he wasn't himself. Who was he to deny her the same thing?

Bella seemed to sense his submission and smiled in victory. She bent down and licked the blood that had dripped on him from her meal. She licked a trail over his abs, then ripped his jeans off when they got in her way. Finding no blood on the newly discovered flesh, she sat back up, grabbed his almost painfully hard erection and slammed herself down on top of him. Bracing herself on his chest with her hands, she set a supernatural pace, the friction and her tight wetness driving him mad. She was relentless, clawing her fingers down his abdomen. It was painful, she didn't know her own strength, but it only served to turn him on more. He bent his knees to give himself more leverage and she leaned back, arching against him as he met her thrust for thrust until they both went over the edge.

Bella curled around him, purring like the cat that got the cream, reminding him just how feral she really was at the moment. Guilt set in hard and fast. Just when he was about to start a round of brooding of Edwardian proportions, Bella kissed his collarbone and hummed.

"Jasper..."

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><p><em><strong>AN: ** So I'm curious, if you're thinking about reading a new fanfic story, do you read the pairing first? Or ever? I always do. I'm picky that way. If it's Twilight - it's Vamp Jasper/Bella or AH Edward/Bella. If it's HP, I prefer Harry/Hermione and if it's TVD it's GOTTA be Damon/Elena. How about you?_


	24. Chapter 24

_**A/N: ** _*Peeks out from behind computer screen* You still out there? Can you forgive me? Stomach flu swept through my house like a slow burning wildfire, and my muse packed his bags and headed for the hills. Then, I got knee-deep in book edits and school plays and animal shelter work to the point that finding an hour or two to sit down and get my thoughts on paper was just WAY too much to ask. On the upside, I have an official release date for MANHUNT - May 1st! I'm so excited! ANYWHO - there's a little bit of smut in here, just so ya know. ;)

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><p><em>Previously on Searching for Lost Souls:<em>

_Bella seemed to sense his submission and smiled in victory. She bent down and licked the blood that had dripped on him from her meal. She licked a trail over his abs, then ripped his jeans off when they got in her way. Finding no blood on the newly discovered flesh, she sat back up, grabbed his almost painfully hard erection and slammed herself down on top of him. Bracing herself on his chest with her hands, she set a supernatural pace. She was relentless, clawing her fingers down his abdomen. It was painful, she didn't know her own strength, but it only served to turn him on more. He bent his knees and she leaned back, arching against him as he met her thrust for thrust until they both went over the edge._

_Bella curled around him, purring like the cat that got the cream, reminding him just how feral she really was at the moment. Guilt set in hard and fast. Just when he was about to start a round of brooding of Edwardian proportions, Bella kissed his collarbone._

_"Jasper..."_

"Bella?" He was almost afraid to hope that her breathy utterance of his name held some sign of her regaining sentience. The questioning hum he got in response bolstered his optimism a little, as did the feeling of utter contentment she was projecting.

"Sunshine, do you know who I am?" He whispered in a tone similar to the one he used when trying to calm down a spooked horse.

Bella hummed again, her voice sleepy as if she had just woken up in the middle of a dream. "Of course. You're my Jasper." She nuzzled her head deeper into the crook of his neck.

Well, he certainly liked that description. "Yes, I am. And who are you?"

"I'm your Bella." For the first time in a long time a word popped into his mind and he felt the weight of the truth behind it.

_Mate_.

"Yes you are. Always and forever. Do you remember anything else?" He could feel her brows crinkle against his skin as she concentrated. It was a long, awkward silence as he left her to her thoughts before she bolted upright.

"Ohmigod - Snape! I killed him. Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod..." Bella wrapped her arms around herself and started rocking back and forth. Her obvious distress was tempering his excitement at her return to reality.

"Correction - almost killed him. He's recovering in the research lab, although I gotta tell you, the cat's out of the bag with him and the whole vampire thing." Jasper shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. It's not like they could do anything about it, short of killing him, and he doubted Bella would be too pleased with that idea. Unless she was really hungry.

"Oh shit." Jasper chuckled. That was putting it mildly, but all things considered he wasn't too concerned.

"Yeah. Now what?" They had a lot of decisions to make, not just about Snape, but about their future in general, but Bella seemed singularly focused on the issue at hand.

She puffed her cheeks and huffed out a breath, a determined look on her face. "Well, we just have to convince him to keep it to himself. Circle of trust and all that. He can't tell anyone, ESPECIALLY not his son."

"His son?"

Bella laughed at Jasper's confusion. "Yeah, do you remember Snape's real name?"

"Professor Gates," Jasper replied in a tone that made it clear he wasn't getting it.

"Right. As in Josh Gates, the host of Destination Truth...?" She paused for a second, then shook her head and continued. "Why do you think Snape was so anti-cryptozoology? He felt like his son was trading away any chance at serious success for fame, fortune and storytelling. They don't exactly get along, which is why Snape didn't show up until after Josh left. Although with his new insight into the supernatural, he might be a little more understanding of his son's interests."

Jasper was stunned. "Wow. How had I never made that connection? Who would've thought, I mean, their personalities are polar opposites of one another."

"You only say that because Snape never hit on me."

"Yeah, I knew there was a reason I liked him." Jasper hated to ruin the moment by asking the one question that threatened to send Bella back into a feeding frenzy, but it needed to be done. "How ya doin', Sunshine? Thirsty?"

Bella's lips puckered in an all-too enticing way as she considered the question. "No, not really. I've got a little tickle in my throat, but nothing too bad. Do you think maybe we could go for a walk, get some fresh air?"

"Cabin fever?" Jasper teased.

"Not exactly, it's not like I have a clear recollection of being here prior to about an hour ago... although I'm curious, how long have I been in here?"

"A little over a week."

"Wow. What made me snap out of it?"

"My amazing vamp sex skills." Bella's jaw dropped. Jasper smirked, quirking one corner of his mouth, all smug and pleased with himself.

"Huh. Couldn't have been that amazing if I don't remember it," Bella replied with a smirk of her own.

"Is that so? Hmmm, well then let me see if I can refresh your memory, my dear."

Without further warning, Jasper pounced, pinning Bella to the ground, arms over her head in much the same position she had him in not-to-long ago. He had fantasized about this moment for so long, where he could give her the full power of his love without holding back. He had every intention of showing her all the perks of her new life, starting with his favorite one.

He kissed her with bruising force, his hunger building when she grabbed his hair with both hands. He pulled away from her and ran a blazing trail down her neck, around the curves of her breast and down her abdomen, scraping his teeth along her skin along the way. He stopped just shy of where she was desperately hoping was his destination and flattened his tongue against her skin, retracing the path he'd just taken, licking her venom as it slowly oozed from the scratches he'd made with his teeth.

All the while he blanketed her in waves of love, lust, and need. He sensed when she was on the cusp of ecstasy and backed off just a bit, wanting to draw it out as long as possible.

He sunk his teeth into her neck at the exact moment he slammed into her. Her answering moans and mews were music to his ears. He picked up the pace and she picked up the volume. They were just about to reach a beautiful cresendo together when...

_Bang - Bang - Bang_

"Hey, can you guys keep it down in there? I'm sure you've scared off all the wildlife within half a mile!"

Jasper's forehead fell onto Bella's shoulder. He was sincerely regretting saving Snape. And, seriously, the man had less self-preservation instinct then Bella did as a human. Maybe it was a required personality trait for the job.

Bella just giggled and covered her head like she'd been caught by her dad.

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><p>"So, Bella, tell me, do you plan on maintaining an animal diet, as Jasper does, or the more traditional one?" Bella was really startled by the casualness of Snape's questioning. That, and said questioning inevitably made her vision zero in on his artery.<p>

"Um... well, as you know I've dedicated my life to conserving animals, not killing them. Not that I don't have respect for the whole 'Circle of Life' thing, I mean, I certainly don't think less of the wolves for their diet, but still, it bothers me. Jasper said it's next to impossible to feed from an animal without killing it, and even if I could, there would be scarring. It wouldn't take long before a hunter took down a buck with strange teeth-mark scars and then Josh and crew would be back in town."

"Soooo... people then." Bella smiled at the lack of judgment from her mentor and friend. "Could I make a suggestion? What about blood banks? There would be some minor deterioration of nutrients from storage, I suppose, but it seems like a viable alternative. Plus, no one dies, man or beast."

Bella looked at Jasper hopefully, an image of languidly sipping from Caprisun-like blood bags while sitting by the campfire floating through her head. "It seems worth a shot. It would require some petty larceny every now and again, but I'm cool with that. Besides, I hate animal blood. It's rank."

Snape nodded and marked off the first item on his checklist. "Since we don't have blood samples from a people-drinker, I'm not able to ascertain why a vampire's eye color differs so drastically on that diet from your so-called vegetarians. Scientifically speaking, it just doesn't make much sense. Honestly, I'm not even sure why your eyes change color in the first place. Be that as it may, your red eyes are going to be a problem, especially if you plan to continue working on your fellowship."

"Of course I want to continue working. Colored contacts? If I get blue tinted contacts, my eyes should end up looking violet, right? That'd be cool." Jasper nodded in approval.

"Excellent," Snape enthused. "I'll do some preliminary testing, determine which brands are the most venom-resistant. Moving on. We need to get some field time under our belts, both to determine your control around the wildlife, and to see to what degree the animals fear you. Especially the wolf pack. You can't do observational research if they take off every time you're within 100 yards."

"Traveller and Belle are fine around me," Bella protested.

"Yes," Jasper agreed, "but we all know they are not exactly ordinary horses."

"Okay, well it's neither here nor there, really. If you can do field work successfully, I can leave you to it as planned before this all happened. If not, then Plan B is simple. Either I take a sabbatical and do the field research while you work in the lab, or we hire you an intern. I think the pros and cons of those options are self-explanatory."

Bella didn't even have to look at Jasper to know he was cringing at either possibility, but especially at the idea of a human who didn't know about vampires staying at the lab for any length of time.

"Let's not put the cart before the horse. Let's run under the assumption that I can do it and go from there."

"Very well." Snape checked three more items off his sheet. "Last item of business. There is a press junket planned in a couple of weeks for the release of the Nat Geo documentary. Are you going to be up to it, or should we start forming an excuse now?"

Bella was instantly nervous. Snape had been the only human she'd been around in the past two weeks, and even then only when sitting outside where his scent would not become concentrated, and with Jasper by her side. "I don't know..."

"Well, there's only one way to find out. Let's invite your friends from town up here for a barbeque. Worst comes to worst, we can blame any disappearances on Bigfoot." Snape snapped his notebook shut and headed back to the lab, clearly signaling the end of their impromptu meeting.

Jasper leaned in and nibbled on her ear before whispering in it. "Are you _sure_ I can't kill him?"

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><p><strong><em>AN: _ **Worth the wait? Show me some love, huh? I gotta tell you, I was surprised I got not one innuendo in last chapter's reviews about Bella sucking on beavers. Must have just been me and my dirty mind lol. ;)


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